COLUMBIA, Mo. AP — Missouri residents must now provide proof of gender-affirmation surgery or a court order to change the gender on their driver’s licenses, following a new policy by the Revenue Department.
Previously, residents could change the gender on their state-issued ID with just a doctor’s approval, without needing surgery.
The Revenue Department did not explain the reason for the change but shared the new rules in a statement.
“Customers must now provide either medical documentation of gender reassignment surgery or a court order to change the gender on a driver’s license or ID card,” said spokesperson Anne Marie Moy.
LGBTQ+ advocacy group PROMO criticized the change, saying it was made “secretly.” PROMO Executive Director Katy Erker-Lynch called for an explanation from the department, stating, “This policy has been in place since at least 2016.”
The previous policy was established in 2016 with input from transgender leaders in Missouri.
Recently, some Republican lawmakers questioned the old policy after protests over a transgender woman using a women’s changing room at a St. Louis gym.
“I didn’t even know this form existed for changing gender, which is genetically impossible,” said Republican state Rep. Justin Sparks in a Facebook video. “The Department of Revenue assured me they would change the policy immediately.”
Life Time gym, where the incident occurred, revoked the woman’s membership, citing safety concerns. The gym said it will continue to follow Missouri laws while ensuring safety at its facilities.
Missouri does not have laws about bathroom use for transgender people, but it is one of at least 24 states that have restricted or banned gender-affirming medical care for minors.
“Missouri continues to show it is committed to erasing transgender, gender expansive, and nonbinary Missourians,” Erker-Lynch said.