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San Francisco Approves ID Cards That Exclude Gender
Next year, San Francisco will issue municipal identification cards showing the usual name, birthdate and photo, but not gender.
When other cities considered issuing ID cards without regard to legal status, the debate was over illegal immigrants. In San Francisco, where the Board of Supervisors approved such an ID on Tuesday, transgender activists added gender to the discussion.
“Transgender” is a broad term for people who do not identify with their birth sex. Those who refer to themselves as transgender include cross-dressers and transsexuals.
“The card really makes gender a non-issue,” says Kristina Wertz, legal director of the Transgender Law Center in San Francisco.
Wertz says legally changing a name and gender designation can be time-consuming and cost hundreds of dollars. IDs that don’t match appearance could “out” people and make them vulnerable to discrimination or abuse, she says.
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