Fact Check: Texas DPS Isn't currently reverting Gender Markers On Driver Licenses of Transgender residents

Photo / DPS website

A poorly written headline of an article by Erin Reed on Substack suggests that the Department of Public Safety (DPS) may be reverting the gender maker on transgender Texans' driver's licenses. This added undue stress to many in the community who trust Reed explicitly most of whom don't read past the headline.

That headline stopped me, a transgender Texan, from reading the article but for other reasons. Having previously read the letter from McCraw and being well-informed about the process, that headline looked like clickbait and honestly, my stress level is high enough already.

As you know the DPS without allowing for a public comment period as required changed a major department policy on August 20, 2024.

Nearly a month later Texas DPS Director Steven McCraw sent a letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asking if the DPS has the authority to ignore court orders and revert driver licenses to the sex they were before they were changed. The first three questions in the letter are all telling:

McCraw inadvertently pointed out in the letter that they didn't have legal or a legislative mandate to stop accepting court-ordered gender marker changes presently, so how could the DPS change drivers' licenses that had already been changed?" Paxton may have told him to do that, and McCraw, now retiring, passed the buck back to his boss.

I know cruelty is the point for Paxton. He has played a part in raising the suicide rate of transgender people living in Republican states to 7-72% higher in comparison to Democrat-governed states. It doesn't matter to him if his attacks on minorities ultimately fail. To Paxton, cruelty is the point.

Texas DPS isn't accepting court orders changing gender markers and yes, the DPS is keeping a list of those who were in the process of doing it.  But no, Texas isn't currently reverting Gender Markers On Driver Licenses of Transgender residents.

Now look for the Legislature to pass a bill in the upcoming session defining sex. They have tried and failed to do that in the past sessions. They must also pass a bill directing the DPS to act on Governor Gregg Abbott's insatiable hatred of diversity. That is likely what the DPS needs to begin reverting the gender on transgender licenses. 

(edited for clarity 10/5/24)

Study Shows 72% increase of Trans Youth Suicides in Republican States

According to a just-released study, Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador, Idaho's governor, and the legislature are responsible for a 7 to 72% increase in Transgender suicides. Photo from the article "Idaho AG accuses pediatrics academy of possible consumer violations over gender care policies" (Otto Kitsinger for Idaho Capital Sun)

A study published in Nature Human Behavior shows a significant increase in suicide attempts by trans and non-binary youth in states following the enactment of anti-transgender laws.

Jurist news reports that the study collected survey data between 2018 to 2022 and found that suicide attempts for transgender and non-binary (TGNB) youths increased by seven to 72 percent a year after the enactment of anti-transgender legislation. The study wrote, “For TGNB young people, anti-transgender laws may signal a broader societal rejection of their identities, communicating that their identities and bodies are neither valid nor worthy of protection.”

Related: 22 Republican AGs Threaten To Make It Illegal For The American Academy of Pediatrics To Endorse Trans Care.

The report continues:

"Furthermore, there is empirical evidence that proposed anti-transgender laws may cause indirect harm to TGNB young people, such that perceived support for the legislation among people in their social network was associated with greater rumination, depressive symptoms, physical health symptoms and fear of disclosing one’s identity to others."

"One of the most contentious areas of this legislative push involves access to gender-affirming healthcare. Advocates of these anti-transgender laws often cite concerns about the potential negative health effects of gender-affirming healthcare on TGBN young people."

However, gender-affirming healthcare has well-established benefits (for example, improved mental health and well-being16–19), and restricting access to such care disregards the autonomy of TGNB young people, and frequently their caregivers, in making informed decisions about their health.

The study wrote

"Legislators and other involved parties must consider negative impacts of these laws on TGNB people when enacting similar future legislation, while prioritizing legislation that fosters acceptance of TGNB people and equity. With the understanding that anti-transgender laws can directly impact the lives of TGNB people, we argue that increasing access to gender-affirming care, resources and facilities could be lifesaving for TGNB people, especially TGNB minors."