Why There Were Trans Meltdowns Across Multiple DMVs in Florida

Matt Vespa | February 11, 2024 7:00 AM

Going to the DMV is already a pain in the neck. Imagine pulling into the parking lot and having it littered with transgender people holding a die-in. That’s what scores of these folks did at DMVs across Florida, protesting a new state policy regarding gender on driver’s licenses. Trans folks will no longer be allowed to make those changes to their identification (via CBS News):

Amid what one critic called "an ongoing campaign to make Florida uninhabitable and unsafe for transgender individuals," Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration quietly reversed a policy that allowed Floridians to obtain driver's licenses that reflected their gender identity.
Robert Kynoch, deputy executive director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, on Friday sent a memo outlining the changes to county tax collectors, who process driver's licenses and state identification cards. The memo said that allowing people to change their gender on licenses and ID cards runs afoul of state law because gender "has historically been understood as a synonym for 'sex,' which is determined by innate and immutable biological and genetic characteristics."
In addition, a driver's license "is an identification document and, as such, serves a critical role in assisting public and private entities in correctly establishing the identity of a person presenting the license," Kynoch wrote.

LGBT advocates accused the Ron DeSantis administration of trying to erase trans people. Hence, these antics this week:

Trans activists are blocking multiple DMVs across FL to protest the requirement for biological sex on licenses pic.twitter.com/YsAiA744lQ
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) February 9, 2024

But I doubt this will get much attention. Ron DeSantis is no longer a 2024 candidate, and the special counsel report on Joe Biden’s mishandling of classified materials dropped this week, which included details about how the president seemed aloof and aged during his deposition. It’s an issue for the president that’s not going away.

In the meantime, if you're a Floridian who needs to stop by the DMV, there might be some extracurricular activities by the door.