Things I hate about the DMV: Having to make an appointment to get my license renewed, only to show up and find out I’ll still be forced into a two-hour wait; joining the blue line, only to realize I’m supposed to be in the red line, because blue is for new registrations; your screaming baby. But I guess I’d take any of those things than going to the DMV and encountering an employee who thinks I’m an abomination because I’m transgender, and then writing me a personal letter about it.
A California Department of Motor Vehicles employee is accused of sending a letter to the home of a Bay Area transgender woman calling her “an abomination” and telling her that she is going to hell. A press release from the San Francisco Transgender Law Center claims that Amber Yust, a transgender woman living in San Francisco, went to the San Francisco Department of Motor Vehicles earlier this month to change her name on her driver’s license.
Last Monday, Yust received a letter from the person who had processed her name change at the DMV. In the letter, which had been mailed to her at home, the DMV employee quoted from the Bible and stated that Yust had made a “very evil decision.” The strongly-worded letter told Yust that she was “an abomination” and said that homosexuals should be put to death.
Though on further reconsideration, I will let any DMV employee write me any letter they want to if it lets me skip the line. [Cal Coast News]
the crustybastard
Lawyer up.
Alex
Any info as to who committed this despicable act?
Telephone, mail, facebook??
Comixbear
Dear God,
It’s starting to look like human beings were a mistake.
Bring on the cockroaches.
BenR
I’m pretty sure there’s got to be a clause in this person’s employment contract that she cannot use personal information (such as addresses) acquired during the course of her work to harass members of the public.
Fire the bitch.
peteNsfo
as though CA wasn’t broke enough as it is… now we’ll have to pay out for this.
Well, Amber can look forward to the best surgeries eva!
If you’re out there, Amber. Sorry you had to experience that. It’s my experience that you gals are on the front-lines daily, so I know you can take it, but you shouldn’t have to.
gina
Here’s a full text of the letter:
“On Thursday, October 21, 2010, I helped you get a driver’s license or ID card at the San Francisco DMV. I noticed that you were changing your name and had supporting documents for the change. As I recall one of these documents outlined something to do with a gender change.
I have learned that the reason for the vast majority of gender change operations is the client’s homosexual orientation. The homosexual act is an abomination that leads to hell. “If anyone lie with a man as with a woman, both have committed an abomination; let them be put to death.” (Leviticus 20:13) “Do not err; neither … the effeminate nor liers with mankind … shall possess the Kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10) The homosexual act is one of the sins that “cries to heaven for vengeance.” Supporting those who commit this act and encouraging and justifying those who have the orientation also lead one to hell.
Romans 1:21-32 explains how the homosexual orientation is connected with worshiping visible things in the world rather than the One Who created them. If this orientation is the reason for an operation that has yet to occur (or is in the process), I beg you — DO NOT GO THROUGH WITH IT!
You can see that I do not support gender change operations. Consider Genesis 1:27: “Male and female he [God] created them”; and then Leviticus 19:28: “You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh…” Jesus clearly prohibits gender change operations. If an operation like this is the reason for changing one’s name, then one has made a very evil decision.
Although I helped you with the name change, I have to say I do not support the reason for it if it relates to the above. If it does I must say I do not approve of this name change, and I also do not believe the state’s recognition of it — through official documents — makes it legitimate or any less evil.
Please take a look at http://www.vaticancatholic.com. This website has critical information for your salvation and much more on many other topics.
In Charity,
Thomas”
AdonisOfFire
If that was done to me I would find the bitch who wrote the letter and shove a bible up his/her ass.
Jonathan
@peteNsfo: Pete: That was a very nice response. Kudos to you.
Jonathan
She works at DMV and she calls someone else an abomination?
DMV is a dumping ground for the intellectually challenged state employees. Beat Bible Barbie for being an uppity woman.
John (CA)
Lawyer up, indeed.
By the time this is over, the government will have to pay her a substantial amount of money.
gina
@Jonathan:
Jonthan, FYI, the DMV employee was a male.
Cam
Aside from all the laws and policies that the person no doubt broke, I am absolutly stunned at the sheer arrogance.
Everything in that letter was “I think, I believe, I don’t agree”
I’m just stunned that some DMV employee thinks that anybody else gives a crap WHAT they believe.
pete
Seems like a slam-dunk lawsuit! That employee will have lots of time to read his/her precious bible, since they will be fired from their job and thus will have plenty of opportunity to sit in a church pew and wail “Why ME Lord!”
Steve
@gina: What an idiotic letter. Jesus clearly prohibits gender change operations in Genesis and Leviticus? I guess I forgot Jesus was alive during those times.
scott ny'er
And again, a loser uses religion as a means to spread their hate. Sadly, it was probably religion that made this loser think like this in the first place. Christianity is a dangerous cult.
Ted
I thank god every day that I am 100% atheist.
Vman455
@gina: If Leviticus prohibits “cuttings in your flesh,” I wonder what this employee thinks about all those male circumcisions performed in America EVERY DAY?
This just in: apparently, the Bible can be used to justify or condemn any act, often simultaneously!
Dorothy Perkins
Well, I hope this DMV employee gets her ass fired because there have been a lot of laws broken here. Maybe “God” will help her get her job back.
I’m so sorry you had to go through that, Amber.
Gus
The ADL is going to be all over this, PR’ing the ’free speech’ nonsense and the discrimination against Christianists. They never seem to understand ANY employer can make rules concerning speech and access to client info, including the State. In reality they only want free, unfettered speech for Christianists and we should STFU.
Jeffree
As if Trans people don’t get enough b.s. slung at them on a daily basis, now low-level gov’t bureaucrats are harassing them using what is supposed to be “protected” and confidential information?
Sorry, DMV employee ‘Thomas’, but YOU’RE the “sinner” here, not Ms. Yust. I hope you get publically outed as an incompetent, ignorant, hate-filled righteous arse, lose yr job, & are unable to find anyone willing to hire you.
I hope Amber’s harrowing experience with the DMV is NEVER repeated elsewhwere, but I know better than to believe that will be the case, because the relgious rightwing can’t keep from throwing their holy verses at other people while ignoring the verses that clearly point out their *own* failings to treat others as they would want to be treated.