ACLU-MI Applauds Michigan Secretary of State for Creating a Transgender-Inclusive Driver’s License Policy

DETROIT – Today the Michigan Secretary of State announced it is streamlining the process for a person to change their sex designation on their state driver’s license or identification card. The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan (ACLU) applauds this inclusive move that respects the transgender community, and enables members to match their IDs with how they live their lives. While sex designation policies have been in Michigan since the 90’s, this simplified process requires residents to provide their:

• Driver’s license or state ID;
• Completed Secretary of State sex designation form, available at Michigan.gov/SOS and SOS offices; and,
• $9 fee.

Dave Noble, executive director of the ACLU of Michigan, and Jay Kaplan, LGBT Project staff attorney for the ACLU of Michigan who served as a consultant for this policy change, have the following reactions:

“This policy is long overdue and common sense,” said Noble. “Thank you, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and your team, for recognizing the transgender community and ensuring that people in Michigan can have accessible and accurate identification.”

“A driver’s license or ID matching a person’s true identity is not a luxury, it’s a necessity,” said Kaplan. “It is also a necessity that we have a law in Michigan that explicitly protects people from being fired for who they are. It is way past time for the legislature to amend the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act.”