Florida Democrats are accusing Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state’s Republican Party of attacking transgender people after the state DMV announced a policy change that would no longer allow drivers to change their gender on a driver’s license.
The new directive from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles was revealed late last week in a memo sent to county tax collectors, which previously said it would “issue a new license if the licensee requests a change.” The company said it had rescinded its guidance, which it had instructed its staff to do. Gender mark on driver’s license. ”
“Under s. 322.17 FS, the Department may issue a replacement license only if the license or permit is lost or stolen, or if there is a subsequent change in the licensee’s name, address, or limitations. ,” said Florida HSMV Deputy Executive Director Robert Kinnock. I have written. “Furthermore, the term “gender” in s. It has been understood as a word. Due to innate and unchangeable biological and genetic characteristics.
“Furthermore, because a driver’s license is an identification document, it plays an important role in helping public and private organizations accurately verify the identity of the person presenting the license.” added. “Allowing individuals to change their licenses to reflect an internalized sense of sexual role or identity that is neither immutable nor objectively verifiable undermines the purpose of identification documents and undermines the ability of states to enforce their laws. may be hindered.”
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Florida DMV office in Miami and a person holding a transgender flag. Florida has announced a policy change that will no longer allow gender changes on driver’s licenses. (Monique O. Madan/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images | Reuters/Demetrius Freeman)
Kinnock concluded his memo by stating, “Falsely stating your gender (understood as gender) on your driver’s license constitutes fraud under Federal Law Section 322,212, and violators may face criminal and civil penalties, including revocation, suspension, or revocation of their license. “A fine will be imposed,” he concluded. driver’s license. ”
Florida Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani denounced the policy change as “another egregious example of how all state institutions are being weaponized to attack transgender people.”
“The Florida Republican Party’s obsession with transgender people must stop,” added Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried. “Instead of addressing the raging real estate insurance crisis and out-of-control rent increases, Republicans continue to pursue blatant transphobic policies in service of a fabricated culture war against transgender people. Erasing people and criminalizing them is absolutely disgusting and should not be tolerated.”
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Florida Governor DeSantis recently suspended his 2024 presidential campaign and endorsed Trump. (DeSantis 2024)
“While we have seen state institutions continue to be weaponized under Ron DeSantis, this rule change in the DHSMV serves the same purpose as other rule changes. “It allows them to get the very unpopular policies they want without going on the record,” she added.
“We believe the memo speaks for itself,” DeSantis spokesman Jeremy Redfern told Fox News Digital when asked to respond to the protests.
Florida HSMV spokesperson Molly Best also told Fox News Digital, “When Governor DeSantis appointed him executive director last January, the director [Dave] Mr. Kerner tasked the department’s senior leadership to ensure that our policies, procedures, and technical guidance/recommendations are consistent with both statutory law and the department’s unique authority.
State Representative Anna Eskamani addresses students and others at a rally protesting Florida education policies in front of City Hall in Orlando, Florida, on April 21, 2023. (Paul Hennessy/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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“Expanding the department’s authority to issue alternative licenses based on one’s internal feelings about gender or gender identity is against the law and threatens the security and trustworthiness of Florida-issued licenses and identification cards,” he said. “It will not enhance sexuality,” he said. “The security, reliability, and accuracy of government-issued credentials are of paramount importance.”
