NJ Makes It Easier To Switch Gender Designation On Driver License

MONTCLAIR, NJ — New Jersey just made it easier for drivers to switch gender designations on their licenses.

On Wednesday, the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission announced that customers can now change the male or female gender designation on their New Jersey driver license without a doctor’s note.

The same applies for non-driver identification cards, officials stated.

Soon, Garden State residents won’t have to identify as male or female at all. Later this year, the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission plans to offer an "X" gender option on driver licenses and non-driver identification cards for non-binary New Jersey residents, officials said.

The ability to change gender designation by self-attestation follows the passage of the “Babs Siperstein Law,” named after the noted transgender activist, which was signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy in July 2018.

“We are proud to serve one of the most diverse states in the nation, and it is a bedrock principle for us at the NJMVC that we represent and treat every individual with respect and dignity,” Chief Administrator Sue Fulton said.

“Allowing customers to change their gender designation to reflect their gender identity is deeply important for showing that all New Jerseyans are valued equally,” Fulton said. “We are proud to stand with our LGBTQ community.”

The “Declaration of Gender Designation Change for New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission Driver License or Non-Driver Identification Card” form is available at NJMVC agencies. It can be downloaded from the NJMVC website, njmvc.gov, and no longer requires the signature of a health care practitioner.

Customers who choose to change their M/F gender designation must surrender their current driver license or identification card and obtain a duplicate for the standard fee of $11.

Garden State Equality, one of the largest LGBTQ rights groups in New Jersey, offered praise for the new rule, calling it “historic.”

DRIVERS LICENSES AND CHANGE IN NJ

Drivers licenses have become a recent cause célèbre for social change in the Garden State.

Last December – acting on the demands of activists and immigrant rights groups – Gov. Murphy signed a new law that will allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses. The new law won't take effect until Jan. 1, 2021.

• See related article: Gov. Phil Murphy Signs Big NJ Driver's License Changes Into Law

Some Republican lawmakers in New Jersey such as Sen. Michael Testa of the 1st District have bashed the law, accusing their Democratic Party peers of "prioritizing driver's licenses for illegals… over lowering your property taxes.”

But supporters of the law have contended that the legislation is a "common sense" solution for the many New Jerseyans who need a driver's licenses to provide and care for their families. Many lack access because of their immigration status, but the law will also aid people who are low-income, formerly incarcerated, homeless or survivors of domestic violence, they say.

“If my mom could drive, she could take me to school,” a 7-year-old child told immigrant rights organization Make the Road New Jersey last year. “When the weather is bad, me and my sister have to wait for the bus in the snow or rain. The water gets in our shoes and backpacks.”

• See related article: Give My Mom A Driver's License For Mother's Day, NJ Kids Plead

Earlier this year, legislators proposed a new state law that would allow cash-strapped drivers to perform community service instead of paying fees to the Motor Vehicle Commission.

"There are many people around the state who are unable to afford paying additional charges for driver's licenses," said one of the bills' sponsors, Sen. Ronald Rice.

Rice, who represents the 28th District, said that working families shouldn't be punished because they can't afford fees at the MVC.

"Community service fosters civic engagement and helping out others who are also struggling," Rice said. "We believe this alternative option will have the most positive impact in local communities."

The bill's other sponsor, Sen. Sandra Cunningham of the 31st District, said that when a person's license is suspended because they can't pay fines, it makes it much harder to get to work. Ironically, that can make it tougher to pay back their fines in the first place, she said.

"By allowing people to perform community service in place of monetary payment and reinstating their licenses once they start service, we are both recognizing the legitimacy of their inability to pay and respecting the necessity of driving," Cunningham said.

• See related article: Let NJ Drivers Pay Fees With Community Service, Senators Say

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