DMV to allow non-binary gender option starting Monday

Customers wait to be called at the new DMV Express office in Stamford, Conn. Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018. Located on Henry Street, the office is open Monday through Friday and provides a range of services by appointment only as an alternative to the full-service DMV in Norwalk. less Customers wait to be called at the new DMV Express office in Stamford, Conn. Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018. Located on Henry Street, the office is open Monday through Friday and provides a range of services by ... more Photo: Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media Buy photo Photo: Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 27 Caption Close DMV to allow non-binary gender option starting Monday 1 / 27 Back to Gallery

The Connecticut DMV will allow a non-binary gender designation on drivers’ licenses beginning Monday.

There will be three gender options for DMV-issued identification cards starting Monday: Male, female, and “non-binary,” denoted by the letter X.

“We want to be sure that we’re fair for everyone, to respect people’s gender identity.” said DMV Deputy Commissioner Tony Guerrera.

Connecticut is one of 12 states that allow non-binary gender identification on drivers’ licenses, according to Guerrera.

“I said to myself, why shouldn’t Connecticut?” he said.

State Sen. Matt Lesser said Saturday that it would be important for people who identify as non-binary, and revenue neutral for everyone else.

“For a lot of folks this is a big deal,” Middletown’s Lesser said. “This is a great move by the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles. It’s going to make a real difference for some people in Connecticut. If you’re not affected, the cost to taxpayers is nothing.”

Guerrera said the move had been spearheaded within the department by himself and DMV Commissioner Sibongile Magubane. He said it was one of their “top 5” agenda items as soon as they were appointed.

“This was an initiative of myself and the commissioner right when the governor got elected,” Guerrera said.

Ultimately this was an internal move by the DMV, but two bills proposed last year would have updated state forms to allow non-binary gender options.

One of those bills, sponsored by Lesser, would have changed state birth certificates for people who identify as non-binary “so they don’t have to be pidgeonholed,” Lesser said.

Another bill, sponsored by Stamford’s State Rep. David Michel, would have updated every state form to allow non-binary options.

Neither bill made it to the governor’s office.

A new form, allowing a gender identification change on a DMV-issued ID, does offer one caveat. Your chosen gender may not be acknowledged in other states.

“In accommodating a gender change, the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles makes no representation that the gender selected for the applicant’s credential will be recognized or accepted by another government agency or non-governmental agency, particularly if it does not match the gender that appears non-DMV identity documents,” the form says.

The new policy reportedly takes effect beginning on Monday at AAA and non-DMV sites, and Tuesday at DMV-operated locations.