quiet lately.

I’ve been spending a lot of time working on community organization, a move, and the like, so I haven’t been writing much.

Within the last 24 hours, 2 different friends asked for clarification on WA’s Driver Licenses–specifically, on correcting your gender on them. Here’s the email I sent them.

From a paper article this august:

8-11-09 SeaTimes – State reverses transgender driver license policy

Washington used to require people changing the gender marker on their license only to submit a letter from a doctor saying the person “initiated appropriate clinical treatment.” That could mean anything from living full time as another gender to undergoing sex-change surgery. Washington was among a small number of states that did not require the surgery.

…

The new policy has one small difference from the pre-2009 policy: It allows applicants to submit a letter from a psychologist in lieu of a licensed physician.

The current policy still requires an altered birth certificate for applicants who want to change their gender on an enhanced driver’s license, which serves as a passport for citizens crossing the Canadian border. The birth-certificate requirement, which stemmed from post-9/11 discussions, is touted by the Licensing Department as a strategy to prevent forgery and bolster counter-terrorism efforts.

From a friend who’s successfully done this I learned that it’s a mail-in process. The DOL site states:

Change your gender designation

If you would like to change the gender designation on your driver license or ID card to accurately reflect your identity, mail a written request to:

Assistant Director for Driver Policy and Programs
Department of Licensing
PO Box 9030
Olympia, WA 98507-9030

The request must include all of the following:

• A letter from you requesting the change in gender designation. The letter must include:
  • The name, address, and gender designation shown on your current driver license or ID card.
  • The name, address, and gender designation you want on the new driver license or ID card.
  • Your current phone number.
• A letter on official letterhead from your licensed medical, osteopathic physician or psychologist stating you have initiated the appropriate clinical treatment.
• A photocopy of your current Washington State driver license or ID card.
• If you want to change your name, you must also include an original or certified copy of your Court Ordered Name Change.

Hopefully that’ll help!