Transgender advocates are urged to be at U.S. District Court in Detroit to show their support.
Earlier this year, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Michigan filed a lawsuit against the Michigan Secretary of State challenging a department policy that makes it impossible for many transgender individuals to correct the gender on their driver’s licenses and other forms of identification.
On Wednesday, November 4th at 2 p.m., arguments in the case will be heard in Detroit by federal Judge Nancy Edmonds. The case, Love v Johnson, seeks to overturn current Secretary of State policy implemented in 2011, under which the state refuses to change the gender on a driver’s license or state ID unless the person produces an amended birth certificate showing the correct gender.
Getting that amended birth certificate can be difficult — if not impossible — as I wrote about when the lawsuit was first filed. The Michigan Secretary of State’s policy, considered to be perhaps the worst in the country, makes it virtually impossible for most Michigan transgender residents to obtain accurate ID, subjecting them to harassment, discrimination, and in some cases violence.
Transgender people and allies are urged to attend and pack the courtroom to show their support. The arguments will be heard at the U.S. District Court Building, 231 W. Lafayette, Courtroom #858 in downtown Detroit.
If you’re not familiar with the case, be sure to read my previous post on the topic, with insights from transgender advocates including a named plaintiff in the case.
[Image via Wikimedia Commons.]
