Three gender choice available on Md. driver’s licenses

MARYLAND – Starting Tuesday, Maryland residents have three options when it comes to selecting their gender on their driver’s license.

The three choices for gender on a Maryland license are now “M” for male, “F” for Female or “X” for unspecified. Advocates say this third option is important for the LGBTQ community for many reasons, including safety. Since driver’s licenses are used for identification at restaurants, banks and employment advocates say it’s crucial that they accurately represent who the person is and what they physically look like.

“It’s a little hard to go somewhere if you go to a club or you go out somewhere, if you have that ID. Somebody like me, if I go out and I say ‘Hey I’m female’ but your ID says male it’s a little hard. It is also a safety issue,” says Christiana McBride, a transgender advocate.

Before this law passed, people had to provide documented proof if they wanted “X” as the gender on their license. So this makes the entire process easier. Maryland joins at least 5 other states and Washington D.C. with this law.