Forced out: A real ID problem for trans people

[LostInTime]

Article

The Real ID Act—frequently written in all caps as REAL ID, although it is not an acronym—was passed in 2005 as an add-on to a military spending bill. A response to legitimate concerns about terrorists using false identification documents, the act has the effect of standardizing state drivers licenses as a national ID, which means that more onerous requirements for gender marker changes will imposed on all 50 states. It also requires that electronic copies of documents used to obtain the license be verified by the state and made available in a federal database.

For transgender people, this could result in authorities across the country having easy access to evidence of a prior gender and of current surgical status. Real ID is raising concerns for other people too.

[Melissa]

Real ID seems to only be a problem to people who want deep stealth.  I personally don't care about whether they knew my previous sex or not and plan to never do deep stealth.  Stealth maybe, but deep stealth seems too stressful.

Melissa

[Sheila]

When you change your ID like drivers license you are considered an alias. Anytime someone does a background check that will come up. So just because you did a lot of paper cover up you still can be outed by some police officer.
Sheila

[LostInTime]

It is one thing if the .gov can track the change.  It is nice for social security, etc, etc.  However, we should not be locked into a name or gender designation just because the .gov thinks terrorists will use those things to launch sneak attacks on us.  Nor should just any old person off the street, an employer or not, have access to that part of our past unless the position requires Top Secret or Special Access clearance.

[Sheila]

I agree with you 100%. I don't even think that the police dept. should be able to access it. I'm against anyone who uses your SS# for ID. We are doing that a lot now. It is wrong and you SS# is not a form of ID.
Sheila

[LostInTime]

The other problem is that it is up to the Department of Homeland Security to set standards for federal ID.  You get someone in there who is decides that transsexuals are the root of all evil and life will then become very difficult.