(Columbus) The Republic

There are plenty of arguments against the BMV’s proposed rule to change gender ID on driver’s licenses and other forms of identification.

It’s too complicated. Too bureaucratic. It shouldn’t be allowed. It won’t work.

The BMV held a public hearing last week looking for public input on a typically divisive LGBT topic. They got their input, and they got their answer. People seem to be in agreement — they do not want a change.

We agree, and it begs the question — why change at all? What’s the benefit?

Things would get needlessly more complicated for some people under the new rule. Instead of just going to a license branch and amending their existing license or ID, anyone transitioning genders would need to add several steps. First, they have to get a form from the Department of Health and have their physician sign it, stating that the person “has been under my care and has received appropriate clinical treatment for transition.”

That, alone, seems like too much.

That’s not the end of it, though. That form has to be mailed to the Health Department with a photo ID. Once the department returns a confirmation, it can finally be taken to the BMV and a revised ID can be obtained.

Christine Meyer, the director of communications and public affair for the BMV, said that the new changes will align process between the BMV and Department of Health and make record-keeping more secure and simpler.

For the individual, though, it all adds up to an unnecessary inconvenience and a lot of wasted time for someone who is just looking to update their driver’s license.

Others opposed making changes to the existing rules for different reasons, including the belief that gender cannot be changed after conception and that a change would affect how law enforcement handle situations due to the lack of a definition for what gender X is. The latter, in particular, would need to be clarified if the proposed rule goes through.

The BMV asked for feedback and they got it. Regardless of reason, people were overwhelmingly against the proposed changes. All of the feedback was taken into consideration for the BMV’s final version, which was submitted to Attorney General Curtis Hill and Gov. Eric Holcomb on Monday.

Whatever is decided, the BMV hopes to unveil the new rule change by March 3. In this case, with so much opposition and so many questions and concerns left unanswered, keeping the status quo is probably the best way to go.

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