Lawmakers seek permanent restrictions on transgender Missourians’ IDs - Pre-filed bills hope to codify policies to prevent transgender Missourians from using their gender identity on state-issued license

“Two bills pre-filed before the 2025 legislative session seek to put restrictions on how Missourians can change their gender marker on their state-issued IDs.”

“From 2016 until this August, transgender Missourians could change their gender designation on their licenses with a form and physician signature. The Missouri Department of Revenue pulled the form after a couple of lawmakers complained.”

“Currently, the department’s policy is to require proof of gender-transition surgery or a court order to allow transgender people to have their gender identity represented on their IDs.”

“State Rep.-elect Brandon Phelps, a Republican from Warrensburg, hopes to codify the policy with his first bill [HB135] filed.”

"Rep. Justin Sparks, a Republican from Wildwood, proposed a more restrictive policy in a bill that limits gender-marker changes only to those that match sex assigned at birth. The bill [HB157] has a caveat that those with sex-development disorders who may have been incorrectly assigned a gender designation may still change their marker."

“The bill would prohibit changes on licenses for any “factor other than evidence demonstrating the person’s biological sex.”

“Both bills are likely to face opposition from LGBTQ+ advocates. A coalition of 10 organizations wrote Thursday to Department of Revenue Director Wayne Wallingford that requiring proof of surgery was too restrictive, writing that transgender people without gender-reassignment surgery should qualify to change their markers.”

“This policy change now means that many Missourians are unable to obtain, renew, or replace their identification because they have not and do not plan to obtain the now-required surgical interventions and do not want an ID that does not have a marker that aligns with their identity,” they wrote.”

“The organizations labeled the department’s new policy as discriminatory, adding that discrimination has “severe negative impacts to mental and physical wellbeing.”