Community Conversation => Transgender talk => Topic started by: brie1978 on August 24, 2024, 03:43:05 PM Return to Full Version
Title: Texas has me heartbroken and scared
Post by: brie1978 on August 24, 2024, 03:43:05 PM
Post by: brie1978 on August 24, 2024, 03:43:05 PM
I just read that two days ago Texas attorney general Ken Paxton ordered the DMV to stop allowing transgender persons with court orders to change their name or gender marker on drivers licenses. He just kind of snuck it in there silently. This is absolutely horrifying. I have already had mine changed, but that doesn't mean that they wont go back and force transgender people to revert back to their old names/genders. This creates a nightmare situation. Think about what it means if you have a court order and have changed your birth certificate, social security card, and passport and then you cannot change your drivers license. You can no longer vote. You wont be able to leave the country because your ID wont match your passport. It is a nightmare unwinnable situation with the intentions of systematically destroying the transgender community in Texas. A new legislative session starts in January, and you can bet there will be more draconian laws to come. Texas is no longer safe for the trans community, its never been a picnic, but this has me terrified. Sorry to make such a buzzkill of a post, but I feel like this is important information that everyone needs to know.
Title: Re: Texas has me heartbroken and scared
Post by: Jessica_Rose on August 24, 2024, 05:04:11 PM
Post by: Jessica_Rose on August 24, 2024, 05:04:11 PM
If your birth certificate has already been changed, I think you will be safe. However, the governor and attorney general of Texas has proved time after time that they have nothing but blackness in their hearts for the transgender community.
I was born in Texas, and a few years ago went through the process to get a new birth certificate. I hired an attorney to help and had to personally appear in a Texas courtroom, but the process went smoothly. Unlike some states, my new birth certificate is not an 'amended' one. There is nothing which indicates that it has ever been changed. Is there a chance it could be 'undone'? Possibly, but that fight would go to the Supreme Court. I'm not going to let myself be overcome with fear about something which could happen, but it does strengthen my resolve to support and vote for those who believe we all deserve equal rights.
Love always -- Jess
I was born in Texas, and a few years ago went through the process to get a new birth certificate. I hired an attorney to help and had to personally appear in a Texas courtroom, but the process went smoothly. Unlike some states, my new birth certificate is not an 'amended' one. There is nothing which indicates that it has ever been changed. Is there a chance it could be 'undone'? Possibly, but that fight would go to the Supreme Court. I'm not going to let myself be overcome with fear about something which could happen, but it does strengthen my resolve to support and vote for those who believe we all deserve equal rights.
Love always -- Jess
Title: Re: Texas has me heartbroken and scared
Post by: Lori Dee on August 24, 2024, 05:41:04 PM
Post by: Lori Dee on August 24, 2024, 05:41:04 PM
@brie1978
Look at the top right corner of your driver's license. Do you see a gold star?
If yes, that means it is REAL-ID compliant, which means the information on it has been verified and is federally accepted. I just wrote a post recently about this.
As @Jessica_Rose said, if it is already changed, you will likely be grandfathered in and changes won't apply to you. Also, Paxton's rule is unconstitutional because it pits the DMV against the courts. In this country, the courts interpret the law, not the AG. What this means is that the rule will not last. It will be challenged and overturned by a higher court. Ken Paxton is just posturing because it is an election year. I don't expect him or his kind to last very long.
Hang tough, Sis. We got this.
Look at the top right corner of your driver's license. Do you see a gold star?
If yes, that means it is REAL-ID compliant, which means the information on it has been verified and is federally accepted. I just wrote a post recently about this.
As @Jessica_Rose said, if it is already changed, you will likely be grandfathered in and changes won't apply to you. Also, Paxton's rule is unconstitutional because it pits the DMV against the courts. In this country, the courts interpret the law, not the AG. What this means is that the rule will not last. It will be challenged and overturned by a higher court. Ken Paxton is just posturing because it is an election year. I don't expect him or his kind to last very long.
Hang tough, Sis. We got this.
Title: Re: Texas has me heartbroken and scared
Post by: Lori Dee on August 24, 2024, 05:47:39 PM
Post by: Lori Dee on August 24, 2024, 05:47:39 PM
Here is a link to the post I mentioned.
https://www.susans.org/index.php/topic,247442.msg2277239.html#msg2277239 (https://www.susans.org/index.php/topic,247442.msg2277239.html#msg2277239)
https://www.susans.org/index.php/topic,247442.msg2277239.html#msg2277239 (https://www.susans.org/index.php/topic,247442.msg2277239.html#msg2277239)
Title: Re: Texas has me heartbroken and scared
Post by: brie1978 on August 24, 2024, 07:29:51 PM
Post by: brie1978 on August 24, 2024, 07:29:51 PM
Thank you for that information. I do have the gold star!!! So I have that going for me. It is still a nightmare situation though. My wife seems to think a big part of it is voter suppression. They are trying everything they can to suppress progressive votes, and this would seem to fit that. Hopefully it wont work out for them. I do imagine there will be plenty of lawsuits forthcoming. I cannot wait until Paxton gets his comeuppance.