Artifact 6 - Texas DPS May Begin Reverting Trans People's Valid Drivers Licenses - Erin Reed, Erin in the Morning

Texas has consistently been one of the worst states for trans rights and trans acceptance, and this recent policy puts the absolute worst of that on full display. I cannot in words describe with satisfactory intensity the terror that a ruling like this inspires in trans communities, both in Texas and nationwide. By denying us the basic legal rights to be marked as what we are, Texas is effectively declaring that trans people do not deserve the safety of legal declaration. Personally speaking, the fear that this most quickly brings to me is of institutional violence. Gendered Lives speaks to institutional violence on page 255, and notes how treatment from the law can often be based in gender. This becomes all the more truthful when talking about trans people, especially visibly trans people.

Consider this: when pulled over, you must present your license. If you clearly present as a woman, but your driver’s license has a male sex marker (or vice versa, of course), it becomes immediately obvious to that police officer that you are transgender. In a state where law enforcement is not known for its kindness towards people they know to be trans, this immediately shifts the substance of the interaction. They now hold additional power over you, and often this power is wielded with prejudice. Even simply the act of a deadname being used is incredibly distressing and something I would argue to be an act of institutional violence, and it is something that Texas is stripping the rights away from trans people to achieve. It is deplorable.