By Zachery Schmidt
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Tennessee filed a court petition this week regarding a state identification law.
In 2023, Gov. Bill Lee signed Senate Bill 1440, which stated that all government-issued identification documents must list a person’s biological sex.
The ACLU is challenging the state’s Department of Safety and Homeland Security (TDSHS) for following the 2023 law and not letting transgender people list the gender they want on their driver’s license and state identification documents.
The lawsuit, Doe et al. v. Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security et al., was initially filed in April 2024. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of “Jane Doe,” who claimed her life was “severely disrupted and putting her at increased risk of discrimination, harassment, and potential violence.”
Chrissy Miller, a transgender woman who is a biological man, later joined the case as a plaintiff. After the 2023 law went into effect, Miller was able to change the sex designation on his driver’s license.
However, TDSHS told Miller that he needed to surrender his license or have his driving privileges removed. A judge from the Davidson County Chancery Court stopped TDSHS from doing this.
In September 2024, the court said TDSHS needed to review its actions and evaluate if it stood by them. At a hearing in January, the agency stood by its actions of following state law.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit then asked the TDSHS to stop following Tennessee law, which the agency refused.
“All people deserve the freedom to live their lives safely and with dignity,” said Lucas Cameron-Vaughn, ACLU-TN senior staff attorney. “Our clients need accurate identification documents in order to travel for work and family, to vote, and to engage in everyday life like everyone else. Forcing them to carry identification that contradicts who they are — or else withholding that identification altogether — is cruel, unfair and unlawful.”
– – –
Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network. Email tips to Zachery at zschmidt1717@gmail.com.
Photo “Chrissy Miller” by ACLU of Tennessee.