Oregon may allow drivers to choose nonbinary, rather than male or female, for licenses
Jamie Shupe
Casey Parks | The Oregonian/OregonLive By Casey Parks | The Oregonian/OregonLive
on May 09, 2017 at 7:02 AM, updated May 09, 2017 at 7:03 AM

Oregon may soon become the first U.S. state to allow residents to identify as "nonbinary," neither male nor female, on their driver licenses and identification cards.

Transgender Oregonians say the change would validate their identities and make them safer as they hand over their licenses at restaurants, health clinics and airports. Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles officials say they have had no opposition to the change, which they first announced plans to carry out last summer.

Officials will host a public hearing on the proposed change Wednesday in Portland. If approved, Oregonians could change their licenses and identification cards beginning this summer. Instead of "F" or "M," their licenses would display "X" under sex.

Oregon may soon become the first U.S. state to allow residents to identify as "nonbinary," neither male nor female, on their driver licenses and identification cards.

Transgender Oregonians say the change would validate their identities and make them safer as they hand over their licenses at restaurants, health clinics and airports. Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles officials say they have had no opposition to the change, which they first announced plans to carry out last summer.

Officials will host a public hearing on the proposed change Wednesday in Portland. If approved, Oregonians could change their licenses and identification cards beginning this summer. Instead of "F" or "M," their licenses would display "X" under sex.

"Some people don't identify as male or female," said Amy Herzfeld-Copple, the co-executive director of Basic Rights Oregon. "We're excited by the DMV proposal because it's an important step in recognizing what we already know to be true. Gender is a spectrum."

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http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northw...rivers_lic.html


Now that's the ticket