Republicans Threaten To Deny Trans People Legal Identity In Florida

Republicans Threaten To Deny Trans People Legal Identity In Florida

Florida Republican House Rep. Dean Black has introduced a bill that would require “biological sex” affidavits for all Floridians. According to Them, the bill “amends various state codes to mandate that all identification documents adhere to the assigned sex on a person’s original birth certificate.” 

It goes further to require those applying for ID cards sign an affidavit promising they marked the sex category according to their birth certificate. Under this bill, “male” and “female” are the only state-recognized categories, and the word “gender” is to be replaced with the word “sex.” 

The bill even mandates that insurance companies cover “reparative” conversion therapy. Black refers to the bill as the “What is a woman?” bill, which takes its name from a starkly anti-trans documentary from journalist Matt Walsh. 

Though the bill has not yet been passed, the Los Angeles Blade points out that it poses a larger threat if enforced. It essentially allows the state to gather information about the biological sex of every state resident, and further identify whose legal gender markers are mismatched. This would allow the state to build a database of transgender people which “could then be used to enforce other anti-trans laws in the state.” 

Black has sponsored several anti-trans bills during term, one of which, SB 1438, successfully passed and currently prohibits “adult live performances,” namely drag shows, from being viewed by minors. 

Remember this this when it comes time to vote. #turnfloridablue

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