More Than 476,000 Transgender Adults Don’t Have a Correct ID

For many transgender adults in the United States, there are many barriers and obstacles to overcome when changing the gender marker on an ID. Depending on which state an individual may reside in, it can be more difficult than others. Some states require proof of gender-affirming surgeries before allowing the gender marker to be changed, which denies trans people who cannot afford surgery or do not want any surgeries the ability to change their IDs. Other states require trans people to publish their names and gender changes in the newspaper, which outs them and often puts trans people at risk. While many states have a multitude of hoops to jump through, Tennessee is the only state in the country to completely bar transgender individuals from correcting their birth certificates.

Less than half of states in the U.S. allow a third option, an “X” marker, for nonbinary individuals. Many nonbinary people have IDs that are marked as either male or female, which makes many people feel invalidated. The latest state to join the list that allows for the “X” gender marker is New Jersey, and hopefully more states will follow suit.

Even in states that do allow for changes to a trans person’s ID, the process is long and expensive. It is not an easy or readily accessible process, and many transgender individuals have to put aside funds for surgeries, HRT and other expenses. If a trans person has an ID that does not match their gender, especially if they are presenting in a more masculine or feminine way, they are at risk of being verbally, physically, or sexually harassed. Some trans individuals have been denied the right to vote, faced employment discrimination, searched more frequently at TSA when traveling, denied the COVID-19 vaccine, and denied other services. These hurdles that trans people have to navigate in order to obtain an ID that matches their identity affects how they are treated in this society and can be detrimental to their mental health.