Nonbinary Designation Added For Michigan Driver's Licenses

LANSING, Mich (AP) — Starting Nov. 10, Michigan residents will be able to have a nonbinary sex designation on their driver's license or state identification card.

Those interested in changing their sex marker do not need any documentation from a health care provider or a court affirming their identity. The nonbinary designation will be annotated as an "X" on the cards.

People are nonbinary if their gender identity is not strictly male or female.

It is not the first time Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has moved to broaden options for residents' identities. In 2019, she announced that transgender individuals could correct their sex designations on their driver's licenses without having to provide medical or court documentation.

"I am proud to support Michiganders across the state who for many years have called on the Department of State to provide a nonbinary sex marker on their ID that matches their lived reality," Benson said in a news release late Tuesday. "We have been working toward this goal since 2019 when we first removed the barriers for residents to change their sex marker in order to help protect their safety and accurately reflect their identity."