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Gender 'X': Nevada Allows Non-Binary Option for Driver's License and ID'S

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People in Nevada can now get a driver's license or ID card with an "X" for their gender instead of "M" for male or "F" for female. 

The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles started giving that option Monday in a "final step in a years-long effort to modernize policies toward transgender residents and those who don't identify with either sex."

"The DMV is committed to being inclusive and realizes some people don't want to be forced to identify as either male or female," said DMV Director Julie Butler. "We would like to thank the Nevada community groups who brought these issues to our attention and worked with us to bring about the changes."

The new change comes after Nevada's Department of Health and Human Services changed its rules in 2016 to allow people to change their genders on birth certificates. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported the DMV changed its regulations last year to allow applicants to self-certify the gender on their ID with no further documentation required. 

Nevada is the 10th state or region to offer a gender-neutral designation on IDs. Other states include Arkansas, California, the District of Columbia, Minnesota, Oregon, Colorado, Indiana, Maine and Vermont. Maryland is expected to make the change later this year. 

Before the change, Nevada's DMV sent out a memo requiring all employees to follow the new policy. 

"It is not the responsibility of the DMV to question an applicant's gender choice," it states. "As we all know, we cannot assume a person's gender based on a person's appearance."
 

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