June 26, 2025

Public can comment on proposed BMV rule to ban gender marker changes

Article origination IPB News
A proposed rule at the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles would ban people from changing the gender marker on their license. - Lauren Chapman / IPB News

A proposed rule at the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles would ban people from changing the gender marker on their license.

Lauren Chapman / IPB News

The public currently has a chance to weigh in on a proposed rule by the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles to ban people from changing the gender marker on their driver’s license.

The rule seeks to comply with an executive order issued by Gov. Mike Braun earlier this year.

The proposed rule cites a recent Indiana Court of Appeals case that said “gender” on a BMV credential means “sex” — and, more specifically, the binary options male and female.

That aligns with an executive order issued by the governor in March that directs state agencies to “enforce the biological binary of man and woman” — something advocates say dangerously dehumanizes transgender Hoosiers.

READ MORE: IDOH halts gender change requests on birth records to comply with Braun executive order
 

Join the conversation and sign up for our weekly text group: the Indiana Two-Way. Your comments and questions help us find the answers you need on statewide issues, including our project Civically, Indiana.
 

The public can comment on the rule via mail or e-mail by July 18. The email address is BMVLegal@bmv.in.gov. The mailing address is:

LSA Document #25-321 Credential Documentation Requirements

Kevin Kolbus

Indiana Government Center North

100 North Senate Avenue, Room N404

Indianapolis, IN 46204

Hoosiers can also attend an in-person hearing. That hearing is at 9 a.m. on July 22, 2025, at Indiana Government Center South, Conference Room 4+5, Wabash Hall, 402 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46204.

Under the current rulemaking timeline, the rule would take effect in October.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

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