ROAD (COU)RAGE

Anchorage Election A Mess But Trans Woman Scores Court Victory Against DMV

While we’re all scratching our heads over the insanity that was the recent election in Anchorage, Alaska, there’s at least a little joy for the LGBT community in the Last Frontier.

In March, a trans woman going by the initials K.L. in court documents successfully sued the state to get the Department of Motor Vehicles to change its policy requiring drivers to undergo complete gender-reassignment surgery to change the sex on their license.

A pilot by profession, K.L. has lived as a woman full-time since 2009, and is identiifed as female on her passport, work IDs and airman certificate. She was also given a new license from the DVD that listed her gender as female, but then received a letter ordering her to prove that she had undergone certain surgeries or return the card. K.L. appealed the decision but was told, “absent an official regulation, the DMV had no authority to change the gender on her license,” reports the ACLU.

She appealed again and ultimately won her case before the Alaska Superior Court, which ruled the DMV’s refusal to change the gender on her ID violated K.L.’s privacy by forcing her to reveal her trans status every time she showed her license.

Don't forget to share:

Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...

We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated