Oppose Restrictive ID Policies for LGBTQ+ Individuals

I stand in strong opposition to HB1362 (Phelps), SB100 (Cierpiot), SB298 (Moon), and HB157 (Sparks). These bills collectively enact a dangerous and discriminatory assault on the rights, dignity, and safety of transgender and non-binary individuals in our state. By weaponizing government documents to deny legal recognition of gender identity, they institutionalize erasure, endanger lives, and violate fundamental principles of equality and privacy. HB 1362, SB 298, and HB 157 mandate that gender markers on IDs align with “biological sex,” a reductive and unscientific concept that ignores the complexity of gender. Forcing individuals to carry documents that contradict their lived identity is a dehumanizing act of state-sponsored erasure. It tells LGBTQ+ people their existence is illegitimate. SB 100 and HB 1362 require invasive, costly surgeries or amended birth certificates—documents that SB 100 itself restricts—to update gender markers. This creates an impossible Catch-22. Gender-affirming surgery is inaccessible to many due to cost, medical risks, or personal choice. To condition basic rights on such procedures is coercive and violates bodily autonomy. Revoking existing accurate documents forces individuals to out themselves in everyday interactions—at airports, banks, or workplaces—exposing them to harassment, violence, and discrimination. Studies show that nearly one-third of transgender people face mistreatment when their IDs don’t match their gender presentation. These bills will exacerbate this crisis. These policies reject the expertise of major medical associations, including the American Medical Association and American Psychological Association, which affirm that gender identity is valid without surgery. By privileging outdated definitions of sex over lived experience, the bills defy science and harm public health. The narrow exception for “disorders of sex development” is deeply offensive. It reduces intersex individuals to medical anomalies while implying that only their identities deserve recognition. This perpetuates stigma and divides marginalized communities. Inaccurate IDs jeopardize access to housing, employment, healthcare, and voting. For example, a transgender woman denied a license matching her appearance could be turned away by a poll worker or refused emergency shelter. Such bureaucratic cruelty has no place in a just society. These bills do not protect citizens—they target vulnerable LGBTQ+ people, particularly transgender youth and adults, for political gain. They enshrine discrimination into law, contradicting our state’s values of dignity and inclusion. I urge lawmakers to reject these harmful measures and instead support policies that affirm the rights of all people to live authentically and safely.