Your female to nonbinary (FTN) top surgery is now in the rear view mirror. Finally, your appearance is what you have wanted it to be for the longest time, aligning with your gender identity.
You are so happy and relieved.
Most, if not all, of your anxiety is gone.
Then you pull out your driver’s license and there staring at you under the “Sex” designation is a big letter “F”.
An unwanted, haunting reminder of the past.
You may even think or blurt out some other word that also begins with “F” – a 4 letter one.
How can you get rid of this relic of the past and align your driver’s license information with your gender?
Well, let’s look into this.
In 1903, 121 years ago, the first driver’s licenses were issued – in Massachusetts and Missouri. For more than a hundred years since then, the only options for listing one’s sex on the license applications were the binary: male (M) or female (F).
That’s it!
There was no option for gender nonbinary individuals or other diverse genders.
It wasn’t until 2017, 114 years later, that a third option first became available – in the state of Oregon.
The “X” option.
This is for those individuals who do not identify either as male or female.
Like gender nonbinary.
Since then, 20 additional states and the District of Columbia routinely offer this “X” option under the category of “Sex”. Alphabetically listed, these are:
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
Most of the remaining states will allow usage of the “X” option though there are certain requirements such as proof of surgery, a court order or altered birth certificates.
Where does Arizona stand on this?
Under “Sex” there would be an “X”. This example taken from the ADOT website displays an “F”.
Arizona does ultimately allow you to use the gender marker (sex) “X” on your driver’s license. However, in order to do so, you must present a federal ID which lists your sex as “X”.
That federal ID happens to be a United States passport.
Interestingly, to change the marker from male to female or female to male on a driver’s license in Arizona only requires a letter from a physician.
So, if you are seeking to amend your Arizona driver’s license to align with your gender nonbinary identity, you will need to make sure that you have a US passport listing your sex as “X”. Take it with you to an Arizona Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) office where you can complete the required paperwork and then be issued a shiny new gender affirming Arizona driver’s license with your special “X” on it.
Good luck!
Steven H. Turkeltaub, M.D. P.C.
Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona
