X Gender Coming to New York DMV

Now that I am officially a resident of the Capital Region I need to get a New York State driver's license. If the Department of Motor Vehicle in New York is anything like it is in Connecticut this task will be daunting.

The process for me should be fairly simple as I am just transferring information from one state to the next. Name, address, birthdate, etc. Easy peasy lemon squeezy right? Most likely for me that will be the case but imagine the frustration of someone that identifies as nonbinary. What do they put under the Sex category? The traditional M or F does not apply for everyone.

New York state is working toward offering an "X" during the automated application process as the nonbinary gender identity marker but this will take time. In the meantime some have debated whether it is needed or not.

Over the years I have realized that I my observations are selective. I wouldn't know if you wore the same pants 4 days in a row but it is likely that I will notice a haircut for example. There is a guy that I have known for over 2 decades and in that time he has become a dear friend. Yes, I have seen his skull ring many many times but I always assumed that it was just a tough, Rock & Roll, ring to support an image. The truth is just the opposite as he explained that he wears the ring to remind him that all of us are the same. Underneath the clothes, flesh and blood we are all the same.

This description moved me to never take that ring for granted and to try to remember that underneath it all you and I are the same. So why not have the option of an "X" identity marker on your New York State driver's license? More than a dozen states already offer this and New York will join but it could take more than one year. The wait is for an update with the DMV computers.