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Pa. to allow gender-neutral driver’s license option

Published August 01. 2019 08:34AM

HARRISBURG (AP) — Pennsylvanians who prefer not to be identified as neither male nor female will soon have a gender-neutral option for their state-issued driver’s licenses.

The Daily Item of Sunbury reported the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation expects to have the new procedure in place by the middle of next year. It will let motorists use “X’’ as a third option to indicate gender.

The state joins more than 10 others that have rolled out plans to give residents options.

A transportation department spokeswoman told the paper the agency is able to make the change on its own and does not need authorization from the Republican-controlled Legislature.

Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf said that the department made the decision but it’s consistent with his opinions about equity and fairness.

“I believe that we ought to recognize and be supportive of folks who are looking to figure out what their gender identity is,” Wolf said Wednesday after a Capitol news conference on another topic.

Department spokeswoman Erin Waters-Trasatt told The Daily Item the agency plans “a systematic process” to adopt the “X’’ option.

She said the state’s vehicle code provides authority for the state transportation department to make the change, and officials do not believe it will present any problems in terms of compliance with federal REAL ID regulations.

Comments
Figure out what their gender identity is?
That should be enough evidence right there, that Pennsylvania needs to pay attention to our election of public servants. The "X" option needs to be placed on the ballot. That being an option to remove, as well as elect. Pennsylvania has several that need to be removed.
Look folks, running elections costs big $$$
Get out and vote. We need to bring common sense back to the "Common Wealth".
God Bless
Why is this an issue to someone who purports to be a TEA? Liberty means not having to be limited by the government to their categories
As science moves forward we have learned that the XX, or XY chromosomes that determine what a baby is, is much more complicated. I have learned that the SRY gene could be missing, or dysfunctional, or there is androgen insensitivity and the XY cells don't respond, or the enzyme needed to convert testosterone to DHT does not happen. Those are just a few reasons. Some scientists think its related to the pacing of fetal development. But what is clear is that Transgender brains resemble brains of their self described self identity rather than the gender they are assigned at birth. In addition there is a lot of research now in the connection between gender non-conformity and (ASD) autism spectrum disorder. The unfortunate thing in our society in dealing with this, is that many people have small minds.
To comment on the validity of your opinion of people having "Small Minds".
Your comment is loaded with great words of intellect. But I look to God, and He does not have a small mind. I refuse to allow the intellect of man, to overshadow the Magnificence of My God!
Now God says, in His Bible (not my opinion), that he created man, and from man, created woman (two sexes). God did not, and does not, make mistakes.
The unfortunate thing in our society in dealing with this, is that too many people think too big of themselves, to consider God. God does not have a small mind. You laid out some nice stuff about what "some scientists"... "think", but their opinions are not absolute, merely opinions and unproven theories. Now think about all the unfortunate souls being confused in to these unfounded theories. Consider the child who believes, follows through, and finds nothingness. Imagine that confused nothingness leads to suicide, which by the way is very high among the sexually confused (fact). Do you want to be responsible for that, based on what "some scientist" babble out? Think about it country girl. One day we will all stand before God. That's some responsibility.
It took the Catholic Church over 350 years to concede that the Earth is not a stationary body at the center of the universe and that Galileo was right. At the time, his theories were also unproven. Research on gender identity is young, but the least you can do is keep an open mind because the scientists may in fact be correct. Here is a quote from Martin Luther about Copernicus, which sounds remarkably similar to your comment.

"There is talk of a new astrologer who wants to prove that the earth moves and goes around instead of the sky, the sun, the moon, just as if somebody were moving in a carriage or ship might hold that he was sitting still and at rest while the earth and the trees walked and moved. But that is how things are nowadays: when a man wishes to be clever he must . . . invent something special, and the way he does it must needs be the best! The fool wants to turn the whole art of astronomy upside-down. However, as Holy Scripture tells us, so did Joshua bid the sun to stand still and not the earth."
For all deniers check the research by Pediatric Neuropsychologist John Strang at Gender & Sexuality Development at Children's National Health System Washington D.C.
There is no fact to a connection of Gender ID to Autism... No Mam.
There is an increase of discussion of gender confusion, because of one thing, an indoctrination through focus of pop culture, social media, politics, and the academic world.
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/lgbt.2018.0252?journalCode=lgbt

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6223803/

I'm sure research on this subject is ongoing, but if you don't believe in science it doesn't matter.

It is hard to adjust to new concepts when they are very different than what we are used to growing up. This is true for any generation. We can either keep an open mind, or we can cling to our current beliefs because change is hard we don't want to leave our comfort zone.
I don’t even care what others believe, it’s their right. But I don’t understand why people like Mike want the government to assert their beliefs on others. If you believe there are two genders, then only pick either male or female. If there is someone who doesn’t want to be limited to a dyad of genders then let them choose other. I don’t care what Mike chooses, that’s his choice. Why does mike want to dictate my choice?
Hey Joe... STOP IT!
I'm not asking the government to assert anything new, the confused ones are the ones pushing this freak show. Stop Ripping In To Me for standing on common sense, natural law, and social stability.
The transgender agenda – the single most delusional and purely totalitarian movement in America today – has instigated an epidemic of “early-onset gender dysphoria,” a pseudo-scientific name for a form of mass hysteria now being pushed on the nation’s children. Shame on those who push this maniacal BS. Reinforcing the deranged belief that some children are trapped in a body of the wrong gender and then plying them with puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and even so-called sex-reassignment surgery is one of cruelest and most devastating forms of child abuse in today’s America. Wake up the foolish people. What you all are claiming, will damage beyond imagination, that child you claim to care so much about, as if you and the religion you subscribe to is of absolute truth. Your religion is wrong. Gosh I hate religion. Ban Religion All Together.
The government gave us an additional choice. You want that choice taken away, reducing liberty.

Sex changes for young children certainly raises ethical concerns, but an adult should surely be allowed to make decisions for themselves and be whatever gender combination they want. Wouldn't you agree?

You mention suicide rate for these individuals is higher. Don't you think that could be due in part because they are treated as second class citizens by many, often times rejected by their own family. They are told they are not normal and need therapy in order to be happy. That sounds much more dangerous to someone's mental health.
Content debate aside, I find it disheartening that an AP article opens with a blatant double-negative sentence construct: "Pennsylvanians who prefer not to be identified as neither male nor female will soon have a gender-neutral option for their state-issued driver’s licenses."
We used to have writers and editors who learned the rules of grammar in grade school.
Mike you are right on with your analysis. Country Girl you should keep your nonsense to yourself. I go to church & believe in bible yes I’m a sinner we all are. But Gods word is the truth read the Bible please. This also applies to all you queers. Man shall not lay with man God specially says this.
Yeah Country Girl, how dare you write well thought out comments providing the most up to date scientific research on the subject matter. It doesn't align with my personal views, so it must be wrong!

"But Gods word is the truth read the Bible please"

The Bible also says not to eat pork or shellfish, and not to do any work on Sundays. Do you follow that, or do you pick and choose what applies?

WWJD? Would Jesus persecute the "queers" and exclude them from society, or would he welcome them and try to understand them better?

The hypocrisy is unreal.
I'm not sure what's out of context here. So Jesus wanted the people to understand him, he did it through acceptance and forgiveness, not shunning "sinners" and treating them as outcasts.
Yo idiot yepyep yes I follow those rules & yes Jesus would persecute queers because he follows his fathers rules. Your the hypocrite. U don’t know me. Your probably one of those bitter homos that should remain in the closet with your BF u queer.
Also Gods word is definitely the truth & you should read the Bible please it would help you understand better how the world is suppose to operate. If u read the Bible & went to church maybe u wouldn’t be queer.
Sounds like I hit a nerve if you're resorting to personal attacks. So you're telling me you've never eaten bacon, ham, porkchops, shrimp, lobster crabs, etc. You're telling me you've never worked a Sunday in your life. No house work, no cutting the grass, no overtime. Take a look at the tag on your shirt, it's probably a blend of different fabrics, but the Bible specifically says "Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material". These are all from the book of Leviticus, the same section that talks about sleeping with another man. If you're going to take parts of the Bible literally, you have to take the whole thing literally.

As for "Jesus persecuting queers", you mustn't be familiar with the following section of the Bible.

We find Jesus reclining at table with many tax collectors and sinners, “for there were many who followed him” (Mark 2:15). When the scribes and Pharisees grumble about the company he keeps, Jesus tells them that he has “not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32).

Jesus didn't persecute sinners, he joined them and asked them to repent. I think you may need the Bible lesson.

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