In the near future, Washington residents may be able to choose from male, female, and an X gender on their driver’s licenses and IDs.

“The X gender designation option means a gender that is not exclusively male or female,” Governor Jay Inslee wrote in an online Medium column this week. “The Department of Licensing proposed the rule change earlier this year. The change would also impact instruction permits or ID cards and would create more consistency with Washington birth certificates that now list an X.”

Third gender option for Washington birth certificates

Inslee’s Medium post explains that the X gender option was developed after having conversations with Washington communities who do not identify with either male or female genders. In 2018, Washington began allowing an X gender option on birth certificates. Since that change, 518 people submitted request to change genders on birth certificates; 59 of those requests were for an X gender.

But residents ran into issues when they attempted to have this reflected on their IDs. The current proposal is an attempt to fix that discrepancy and could be enacted as soon as October.

X gender

A total of 16 states currently offer the X option on IDs, Hawaii being the most recent example. That state signed the option into law just a few weeks ago. Gender X states include: Arkansas; California; Colorado; Hawaii; Indiana; Maine; Massachusetts; Minnesota; Nevada; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New Mexico; New York; Oregon; Utah; and Washington DC.

Washington is primed to become the next state on that list to allow an X gender, but it will differ in one way. According to Director of the Washington State Department of Licensing Teresa Berntsen, Washington will not require medical certification to change gender on a driver’s license. Berntsen said in Inslee’s Medium article, “We intend to allow self-identification of gender.” Though, this may also already be true for California’s process.

“It’s imperative of our government to include as many people as possible so that people actually feel like they’re part of society, and that they’re seen and heard,” said Elayne Wylie, co-executive director of the Gender Justice League.

The Department of Licensing reportedly has the power to enact the change. It already conducted listening sessions with community members about it. DOL will now host public hearings on the change throughout August.

Monday, Aug. 12, 5 p.m. Seattle Public Library, 1000 Fourth Avenue Seattle, WA 98104

Tuesday, Aug. 13, 5 p.m. State Capital, Columbia Room, 416 Sid Snyder Avenue Southwest Olympia, WA 98504

Thursday, Aug. 15, 4 p.m. Spokane Public Library, South Hill, 3324 South Perry Street Spokane, WA 99203