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Indianapolis Star
23-07-2025
- Health
- Indianapolis Star
Transgender Hoosiers push back on ban on driver's license gender changes. Will opposition matter?
Dozens of Hoosiers testified on July 22 in opposition to a proposed rule change by the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles that would prohibit gender marker changes on driver's licenses, an effort stemming from Gov. Mike Braun's executive order from March that aimed to promote the 'biological dichotomy between men and women' and discourage 'modern gender ideology.' BMV leaders, though, likely don't have much power to significantly alter the proposed rule since the agency has to comply with Braun's order. "While we are committed to ensuring that all voices and points of view are heard and considered," Gregory Dunn, executive director of communications for the BMV said in a statement, "we also have a responsibility to carry out our duties as defined by law." What was intended to be an hour-long public hearing stretched nearly three hours as speakers criticized what some described as an intentionally anti-transgender initiative by state elected officials. Among them were transgender Hoosiers and advocates alike, including a 15-year-old nonbinary teenager looking to get their driver's license and a man with an intersex partner. Before Gov. Braun's order, people could change gender markers on their licenses by obtaining a court order, a process speakers described as arduous. Under the proposed rule change, the gender on an individual's driver's license must reflect their biological sex determined at birth. An 'X' will no longer be allowed in place of a gender marker for nonbinary people. While driver's licenses that have already changed will remain valid, new licenses issued must follow the updated guidelines. Shortly after Braun's executive order, the Indiana Department of Health told local health departments to stop accepting requests to change genders on birth certificates. When a health department subsequently refused to change the gender of a teenage transgender girl on the birth certificate, the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana sued the governor for allegedly violating the equal protection and privacy clauses of the U.S. Constitution. The executive order has not been the first challenge to the BMV's policy of changing gender markers. In 2020, then-Attorney General Curtis Hill issued an advisory opinion saying the BMV did not have the authority to issue an 'X' as a gender marker. That opinion eventually led to an Indiana Court of Appeals decision in 2024 that determined 'gender' has the same legal meaning as 'sex" when it comes to laws pertaining to motor vehicles, a precedent that was cited by a regulatory analysis of the proposed rule change. That same regulatory analysis became a point of contention for some speakers, specifically one line that listed 'impacted parties' as 'none.' Those who testified cited scientific studies, legal principles, Bible verses and poems. They described hypothetical scenarios where the proposed rule change could cause more confusion at traffic stops, in hospitals and even when issuing a description for a missing person. Among the speakers was Kit Malone, a transgender woman and former strategist for the ACLU who said the change will impact transgender Hoosiers in everyday scenarios where IDs are required, like bars, movie theaters and grocery store checkouts, because many will not look like the gender listed on their ID. 'I updated my ID because it was getting weird not to,' she said. 'I was getting looks.' Eli Lucas, a transgender man who works for a Fortune 500 company in Indianapolis, said the change affects hardworking taxpayers like himself. He said he feared the change could complicate police interactions, enhance the risk of violence and create humiliation in everyday interactions that require an ID. 'We transgender Hoosiers are your neighbors, your coworkers, your friends and your family who simply want to live without fear,' he said. Others spoke to the broader political climate, referencing a pastor who delivered a sermon in June at an Indianapolis church where he told congregants to pray for the deaths of LGBTQ+ people. Some who testified said they had friends who had left Indiana because of its attitude toward transgender people, but that they loved the state they grew up in too much to follow them. Amy Kleyla, a combat veteran and 50501 protest organizer, said the national environment had gotten increasingly hostile as well. She said she transitioned 28 years ago but has never experienced as much hate as she has this year. 'That hate is force fed into the American people right now,' Kleyla said. The BMV did not provide details about how much the agency could modify the proposed changes to still comply with Braun's executive order. "Hoosiers have too many pressing needs to spend their tax dollars trying to redefine what it means to be a boy or a girl," Braun previously said when he signed the executive order. "Today's executive order will end any confusion about our state's policy on this issue so we can focus on my goal to secure freedom and opportunity for all Hoosiers."
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Shining a light on public records and open access
Open records and access to government is important for government transparency and trust. (Photo from It's Sunshine Week, which isn't just about journalists. The nonpartisan collaboration of civic, media, education, government and private sectors shines a light on the importance of public records and open government. And all citizens have a right to both. Over the years, I have noticed an increase in requests from the public for transparency and accountability. This Sunshine Week, it's worth acknowledging what Indiana mostly does it right. But there is still room for improvement. Just this week, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled that a college student who sued for voter registration documents is entitled to attorney's fees since he won at least part of his case. Lawmakers want more transparency on health provider ownership and are tightening contracting rules for agencies. I want to state first that most governments I have covered do a great job at providing records. That doesn't mean we always agree, but they are genuine and forthright in their efforts. But, lately, it is becoming more difficult. Many state agencies, for example, are pushing even simple requests that can be handled in an email through a formal records request process. They often get lawyers involved for basic things, which simply delays the process for everyone. CONTACT US An example of this came just this week when the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles initially suggested they could fill a request for data on specialty license plates but later required a formal request that takes much longer. The state has an amazing transparency portal where you can see what each agency is spending and on what; check payroll of state employees; see what the government owes and even look up how many aircraft the state owns. It could be improved by adding what bonuses are given to specific employees. When we wrote about spot bonuses, we had to formally ask for the data because it wasn't publicly available. Bonuses shouldn't be treated any differently than salary in terms of transparency. Lots of contracts are also in the portal, but some are missing. For instance, in December we were tipped of contracts that Secretary of State Diego Morales had signed with entities who then contributed to his campaign. They weren't posted in the portal, and we had to request them individually. Those contacts still aren't online, which means Hoosiers can't find out about them without knowing they exist first. In fact, not a single contract is posted since Morales took over in January 2023. And some agencies haven't added annual reports to their sites in years. The last one posted for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management was 2019. Sometimes journalists, like the student above, have to sue for records. That's what the Indianapolis Star did recently, and this week published a blockbuster report showing that county-owned hospitals collected $5.6 billion in Medicaid dollars for nursing home resident care but diverted about half of the money to the hospitals instead. This came at the same time as many nursing homes struggled with staffing and quality of care. The Indiana Capital Chronicle is likewise in litigation to find out what the state spent on pentobarbital to restart executions in the state. Gov. Mike Braun is open to finding a settlement that pleases everyone in that case. He also plans to appoint a new Public Access Counselor by the end of the month. It's my hope the new counselor will be as vigilant as his or her predecessor. One problem though is that lawmakers have taken some teeth out of the office after the issuance of rulings they didn't like. No one should be afraid of transparency, unless of course they are doing something wrong. And I know the majority of elected officials and government employees I have covered in 30 years aren't. They are upright people serving the public. Secrecy only causes mistrust and casts aspersions on them. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Lawmakers plan to roll back changes to registration tags, specialty license plates in BMV bill
Proposed bill language that would increase the requirements for organizations to qualify for specialty license plates is likely to be changed by a Senate committee next week. (License plate images courtesy Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Photo illustration by Casey Smith/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Language in a broad Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) bill that could do away with registration stickers and make it harder for organizations to qualify for specialty license plates is likely to be dialed back, per a top state senator. Also in the works are significant amendments to a statewide road funding bill that seeks to head off anticipated transportation funding shortfalls — mostly by boosting local fundraising. It's not yet clear what those changes will exactly entail, however. Sen. Mike Crider, R-Greenfield, said in the Senate transportation committee on Tuesday that he plans to release amendments on Friday, 'which will give all the interested parties time to digest what we're talking about doing.' Additional testimony on the amendments will be allowed at next week's meeting before the committee takes any votes, Crider confirmed. If approved, both bills will still have to clear the Senate Appropriations Committee before advancing to the full chamber. 'These two bills are important, and we want to make sure that we try to get them right,' said Crider, who chairs the Senate transportation committee. The current draft of House Bill 1390, the BMV-specific legislation, would permit the agency to sunset physical registration stickers and instead transition to a fully-electronic system. Bill author Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie, said Tuesday that Hoosiers could print their registration documents at home, 'saving the state money on mailing and the registration form itself, along with the sticker.' A fiscal analysis said the anticipated savings are $2.75 million per year. Regarding registration tags, Crider said one of his upcoming amendments 'will take that portion out' altogether. 'It's an important tool for law enforcement,' Crider said. 'I've had several reach out to me, and I know from my experience (in law enforcement), that is one of the tools used frequently.' As written, the measure additionally increases the amount of signatures required to get a specialty license plate. Indiana offers the unique plates for nonprofit organizations, colleges, military branches and other groups to help the organizations raise funds and awareness for particular causes. Current law requires 500 signatures to be collected 'in no particular amount of time' before a plate application can be submitted for review, Pressel noted. His bill proposes an increase to 1,000 signatures that must be obtained during a single calendar year. 'This just raises the bar a little bit,' and reduces the amount of time BMV staff spend evaluating hundreds of pages of applications, he continued. The state has so far approved 146 specialty plates, just shy of the 150-plate limit in Indiana Code. These two bills are important, and we want to make sure that we try to get them right. – Sen. Mike Crider, R-Greenfield The senator worried whether the specialty place changes would preclude worthy applicants. He pointed to All Pro Dad, a state-funded fathers initiative, which Crider said 'has struggled to achieve the 500 signatures number, even after two or three years of trying.' 'Moving from 500 to 1,000 is a pretty big jump on the specialty license plates, and we already have some groups that are right on that bubble of 500 — and that's an important source of revenue,' he continued. 'We'll continue to talk about that. There may be another way to kind of limit the number of new applicants we have coming in without jumping that drastically.' The bill additionally seeks to allow the BMV to sell 'blackout' license plates, which feature black backgrounds and white lettering. Cody Eckert, the agency's legislative director, said the plates have been successful in other states like Kentucky, Minnesota and Iowa. There's no current equivalent in Indiana, he said. But if allowed, Hoosiers would have 'a crisp and popular plate alternative.' Pressel further emphasized to the Senate panel that blackout plates would provide the state with 'really simple' additional revenue that could total into the millions. To qualify for a specialty license plate in Indiana, an organization must: Be a nonprofit or similar group Demonstrate statewide impact Have at least 500 plates registered each year Pay an application fee ($15,000 for a new plate) Organizations must send an application to the BMV, submit a plate design, and meet renewal requirements to maintain their specialty plate. Each specialty plate typically costs motorists an extra $40 — $25 of which goes to the sponsoring organization, and $15 to cover state administrative costs. Representatives from multiple nonprofit groups told an interim transportation committee last fall that specialty plates had the potential to net their organizations thousands of dollars per year and 'priceless' exposure for their causes. Various other sections of Pressel's BMV bill address salvage titles and commercial driver's licenses. But Eckert said language around blackout plates — as well as a provision to require a real-time insurance verification system — are top-of-list for the agency. The BMV sends over 100,000 notices each year to drivers requesting proof of insurance and provides 90 days for Hoosiers to show evidence of financial responsibility. 'Inadvertent suspensions arise, however, when drivers fail to receive notice or the BMV fails to receive the certificate of compliance from the insurance company. And this causes understandable frustration for Hoosier drivers that can be prevented with real-time insurance verification,' Eckert said. '(This bill) allows Indiana to create an instantaneous method of verification of evidence of insurance, directly with the source of the information — the insurance company.' Included in the present draft of a separate measure discussed Tuesday, House Bill 1461, is a $200 million cap on awards from Community Crossings, a popular matching grant program local governments can use to fund local road and bridge projects. It would also require local governments to adopt a wheel tax to qualify for grant funds; expand the Indiana Finance Authority's ability to issue bonds for road projects; permit the Indiana Department of Transportation to seek federal approval for toll lanes; and change local funding allocations based on lane mileage. The bill mandates, too, that local transportation taxes by 2028 and provides funding boosts to Indianapolis for secondary roads. House approves local road fundraising measure 'There are a lot of options in this bill, some of them good, some of them bad. I've eliminated what I couldn't get support for, and I will be the first to tell you I don't have support for everything in this bill, but there is a need,' Pressel said before the Senate committee. Hoosiers aren't buying 'gallons and gallons' of gas like they used to, stifling road funding revenue, he explained. 'We, along with our colleagues in all other states, are having the same conversation. How do we fund roads into the future? Should it come out of the general fund? I don't believe that to be true,' Pressel continued. 'I think we should have user fees. You pay for what you use, and the more you use, the more you pay.' While testimony from local officials was mixed, many were united against a required wheel tax. The stipulation, several said, would not fully account for the spectrum of financial situations across Indiana municipalities. Many requested the bill be updated to allow 'more flexibility' for local governments. Crider said the Senate committee will take those calls into account as amendments come together. 'Several smaller units of government, or even larger units, are concerned about the language around requiring wheel tax. Some of them have tried to pass wheel taxes — they just can't pass one. Some will never pass a wheel tax,' Crider said. 'We're going to look at a method to consider intensity of local input into the formula, if that makes sense.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Braun's new executive order makes it harder for transgender people to change driver's licenses
Gov. Mike Braun on Tuesday signed an executive order that bans the state government from promoting so-called "modern gender ideology" with several implications for transgender Hoosiers. Among other changes, it could restrict transgender Hoosiers from getting an Indiana driver's license that uses a gender identity that's different from the sex they were assigned at birth and could also result in future challenges for people who seek to change their birth certificates with an updated gender identity. The other executive order signed by Braun Tuesday would block transgender women from playing on women's college sports teams in Indiana, but that practice was already recently banned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The state under Braun's administration will "respect and enforce the biological binary of man and woman as a fundamental," according to one of two executive orders signed by Braun. "Hoosiers have too many pressing needs to spend their tax dollars trying to redefine what it means to be a boy or a girl," Braun said. "Today's executive order will end any confusion about our state's policy on this issue so we can focus on my goal to secure freedom and opportunity for all Hoosiers." Both executive orders were immediately criticized by groups supporting the LGBTQ community as dehumanizing, but Braun defended his actions. "Biological sex is written in our DNA," Braun said. "Replacing the scientific fact of biological sex with the ever-shifting, self-reported idea of gender identity has real consequences, puts women in danger (in) female-only places like prisons. It destroys opportunities for women in sports, and it tells troubled kids that their mental health problems can be solved with sterilizing drugs and irreversible sex change operations." The executive order that refers to state government says that gender, when referring to a human being, is "synonymous with sex" and that sex "means an individual human being's immutable biological classification as either male or female." Braun is banning state funds from being used to promote gender ideology, including by issuing or maintaining any "statements, policies, regulations, forms, communications or other messages that promote or otherwise inculcate modern gender ideology," according to the order. The order could impact transgender Hoosiers seeking to update their driver's licenses with the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles with a change in gender identity, and complicate court-ordered changes to people's birth certificates. During the Holcomb administration, the BMV allowed gender changes on drivers licenses. Transgender people could visit a BMV branch to change their license to male, female or not specified, or "X" by showing an amended birth certificate or physician's statement. Now, the Braun administration says that it will no longer issue driver's licenses with the X gender marker, and that it will only change people's genders on drivers licenses from their sex assigned at birth "by court order," according to deputy chief of staff Molly Craft. There was some confusion when Braun announced the executive order about whether it would apply to drivers licenses. Initially, when asked by reporters, Braun said there'd been no declaration on that and "what else might be impacted by it remains to be seen." However, the governor's office later clarified that Braun had misspoke. Not only would it impact driver's licenses, the administration had sent out guidance earlier in the day to all of the state's BMV branches. The less than 250 people with an X gender marker on their drivers license in Indiana will still have a valid license, but will not be able to renew it without changing the gender to male or female, according to the governor's office. They will need to show a birth certificate to support the change. Sex changes to birth certificates already requires a court order in Indiana, but that could get more complicated under the executive order as well. Those birth certificates are issued by county health departments and then shared by the Department of Health. "Any changes to birth certificates after initial issue must be run through IDOH's database," according to Craft. "As directed in (the executive order), IDOH will push back on county courts that try to change sex on a birth certificate after issuance." The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana criticized the executive orders as "diminishing our state and the quality of life for people living in it," according to Executive Director Chris Daley. Daley said the organization would evaluate whether it will respond with a lawsuit. "Gov. Braun came into office with priorities around education, efficiency of government, quality of life for all Hoosiers, and (in) the first hundred days, he's issued executive orders targeting hardworking immigrants, the medical privacy rights of Hoosier women, and now the safety and wellbeing of transgender Hoosiers," Daley told IndyStar. "We object to any actions taken by state government that fail to recognize the identity of transgender people in our state." The IYG, which bills itself as a "queer youth organization" that supports the LGBTQ+ community, said the orders contained "dehumanizing language" that shows "animus to trans people." "Quite simply, transgender people are who they say they are," the IYG said in a statement. "There is no evidence anywhere to suggest that acknowledging the reality of the transgender experience harms anyone." Before Braun's pair of executive orders, the Indiana General Assembly was already considering legislation that would ban transgender women from college women's sports. House Bill 1041 passed the House last month by a 71-25 vote, and the bill now heads to the Senate for consideration. Contact senior government accountability reporter Hayleigh Colombo at hcolombo@ This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Braun makes it harder for transgender people to change driver's licenses
