FERNDALE, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson says her department is making it easier for transgender people to get a driver’s license or state ID card.
Starting Monday, those wanting to correct the sex designation on their license can go to a branch office to have their photo taken, fill out a form and pay $9. They no longer will need to provide a birth certificate, passport or court order.
Benson announced the policy change at a news conference in the Detroit suburb of Ferndale, where she was joined by LGBT advocates. Benson said studies show that about 80 percent of Michigan’s transgender population lacks proper identification.
Benson, a Democrat, said the change returns to a policy that was in place before the issue was “politicized.”
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