Transgendered Alaskan Male Hayden Nevill Considered A Male On His Passport, But A Female On His Alaska Driver's License, And The Alaska DMV Won't Budge
Posted by Anchorage Activist at 8:24 AM
http://alaskapride.blogspot.com/2012/05/transgendered-alaskan-male-hayden.htmlHayden Nevill, a transgendered Alaskan who identifies as a male, has a legitimate beef. The U.S. Department of State is willing to accept his self-identity as a male, so his passport indicates he's a male. However, the Alaska Department of Motor Vehicles is not willing to accept his self-identity as a male, so his driver's license indicates he's a female. So in situations where he needs to use his driver's license as his official I.D., such as renting a vehicle, it can lead to some interesting and uncomfortable experiences, which he describes in an Anchorage Daily News Compass piece entitled "Transgender Alaskans' privacy imperiled".
On the surface, Nevill presents as a male. He has a deep voice and a receding hairline. He does not state definitely whether or not he's had gender reassignment surgery, but by the tone of his article, it's probable that he hasn't. He contends that shouldn't matter, noting that not every transgendered person should be considered a candidate for surgery or can afford surgery that isn't covered by health insurance plans.
But the central issue here isn't gender reassignment surgery; it's vertical consistency. We have two different agencies using two different standards for issuance of official identification cards, producing two different results.
