Mississippi passes anti-trans driving licence bill awaiting sign-off from Republican governor

Mississippi is the latest US state to draft a bill that would require all driver’s licences to reflect a person’s sex assigned at birth.

Lawmakers passed SB 2322 on 6 April, which, if signed by Republican Mississippi governor Tate Reeves, would prohibit transgender people from using their pronouns on the legal document.

The bill would prevent transgender residents from updating their gender markers and would invalidate court orders recognising gender changes.

What does Mississippi SB 2322 state?

As per SB 2322, the proposal states: “Any new, renewal or duplicate driver’s licence, temporary driving permit or commercial driver’s licence issued to a person under this chapter shall bear an indication of the sex of the individual which shall be consistent with the sex of the individual determined at birth.”

Mississippi is the latest of several US states to issue legislation or rule on amendments to gender markers on driver’s licences, following a similar case in Kansas.

This follows Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14168, titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” which states that a person’s gender will be determined by the sex they were assigned at birth.

Who opposed the bill?

Mississippi state senator Rod Hickman, a Democrat from Macon, raised concerns over the bill, saying “Mississippi deserves better.”

Speaking to Mississippi Today, he said: “I did not come to the Mississippi Legislature to be a spectator or to do harm dressed up as policy.”

“I came to solve problems, to make our communities safer, and to ensure that the laws we pass actually serve the people of this state.”

“I write today with deep disappointment” – Mississippi state senator Rod Hickman condemning the diving license bill

He continued: “That is why I write today with deep disappointment following the recent passage of Senate Bill 2322, which is now pending the governor’s signature to become law.”

According to the 2022 US Trans Survey, around a quarter of transgender people whose IDs do not match their gender identity reported experiencing verbal harassment, assault, or denial of services.

This latest Mississippi transgender bill is part of a broader attempt to strip trans people of their gender autonomy worldwide, as cases in India, Portugal and elsewhere reinforce stricter gender rules.