Arkansas will no longer allow residents to use "X" instead of male or female on state-issued driver's licenses or identification cards, officials announced under new rules Tuesday, March 12, 2024. Sanders defended the new rules as "common sense." (Al Drago/Pool Photo via AP)
The rule change must be approved by a legislative committee of the Arkansas General Assembly. If the policy moves forward, all previously issued licenses and IDs with the "X" designation will remain valid through the existing expiration date, the department said. Residents will have to update their gender when they renew their license or ID.
The move is the latest effort by a Republican state to legally define sex as binary, which critics say is discriminatory towards transgender and nonbinary people and creates uncertainty for intersex people — those born with sex chromosomes, external genitalia or an internal reproductive system that is not considered typical for a male or female.
A legislative committee of the Arkansas General Assembly must approve the driver's license and state ID rule change. (Don & Melinda Crawford/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
DFA Secretary Jim Hudson said the discontinued policy was not supported by state law and had not gone through the public comment process and legislative review required by state law.
"This change announced today reflects a commonsense approach that ensures a license or ID issued by the State of Arkansas is based on objective, verifiable information," said DFA Secretary Jim Hudson. "All of our stakeholders in law enforcement, other government agencies, caregivers, schools, and businesses depend on DFA-issued licenses and IDs to keep our communities safe and to prevent fraud."
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Chris Pandolfo is a writer for Fox News Digital. Send tips to chris.pandolfo@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @ChrisCPandolfo.
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