Indiana agencies are not allowed to use an “X” gender designation on identification documents for residents who don’t identify as male or female, the state attorney general said.
On Monday, Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill said in an official opinion that agencies must have strict direction from the state legislature to adopt the nonbinary identifier, The Times of Northwest Indiana reported. Sen. Jim Tomes, R-Mt. Vernon, requested Hill’s opinion.
State law requires applications for driver’s licenses or state IDs to include information about the person’s gender.
Hill, a Republican, said the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and State Department of Health exceeded their authority when they briefly allowed nonbinary individuals to apply for a driver’s license, state identification card or birth certificate with an “X” marker.
“Administrative agencies like the BMV and the ISDH are creatures of the Legislature whose powers are limited to their authorizing statutes,” Hill said.
The BMV did not respond to Hill’s opinion, but it said it is reviewing his statement and figuring out how to proceed. An attorney general’s opinion is not legally binding.
Sen. J.D. Ford, D-Indianapolis, who is Indiana’s only openly gay state lawmaker, criticized Hill’s opinion in a statement released Tuesday.
“Why are we so against inclusion in our state? We are all human beings, deserving of dignity, and I applaud the BMV for recognizing that, Ford said.
Hill noted that state law only authorizes Indiana residents to identify as male or female.
“Individuals wishing to change their binary designation on a driver’s license or identification card may continue to utilize the process currently provided by BMV rules,” Hill added.
Hill, who is seeking a second term, is awaiting a state Supreme Court decision on whether he’ll face any punishment for alleged professional misconduct stemming from allegations that he drunkenly groped four women, including a state legislator.
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That made me ridiculously happy . Not because I give a hoot, but because I’m sick to death of hearing about pronoun sensitivity and ‘infinitely flexible i genders ‘ and the whole kit and caboodle of identitarians (hey- that has not made it into spell -check …. yet) and identity politics and the Minute population of such groups imposing absurd social demands and attempting to mandate their ideations through legislation .