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The transgender community is celebrating a small victory today after the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation made the announcement that they have agreed to allow transgender individuals to identify themselves more accurately on forms supplied by the state agency.
In large part due to its partnership with Equality Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is finally acknowledging that transgender individuals live in the state, drive vehicles like everyone else and should be treated with the same dignity and respect afforded to other citizens of the second state in the union (Pennsylvania joined the union in 1682 following only Delaware’s entrance). This is the first time in the Keystone State’s 382-year history that the transgender community has been afforded this right.
Prior to the updated policy regarding gender marking, transgender individuals were given the opportunity to check the “male” or “female” boxes on the official documents, but were under the obligation to first prove that the sex-reassignment surgery had definitely occurred. Under the updated policy, transgender people will be able to check the same two boxes previously mentioned without having to be subjected to such invasive questions (they do, however, need to be living full-time in their new gender and it can be verified by a licensed medical or psychological caregiver). The policy change is effective immediately.
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Equality Pennsylvania Executive Director Ted Martin made the following statement after the decision was announced today, "I want to applaud the Department of Transportation for the careful and intelligent way they have handled this discussion. From the very beginning, they recognized what the American Psychological Association, over 25 other states and the U. S. Department of State has been realizing all along; that this just makes sense and is the right thing to do. This simple and cost-free change in policy will make lives better and that's really the most important point in all this."
Brian Sims currently acts as the Board President for Equality Pennsylvania and added, "Equality Pennsylvania is committed to making sure that real policy change benefiting the entire Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community happens regularly, so this victory - so long in coming - is an especially satisfying one. These victories change people's lives, and that's really what our advocacy role is all about."
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation spokesman Craig Yetter offered, "Equality advocates approached the department and brought the policy change for passports to our attention and let us know there were 26 other states and the District of Columbia that had similar policies in place and then PennDOT took action to change the policy."
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