Missoula judge hears human rights appeal in driver’s license gender case

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The American Civil Liberties Union of Montana argued that Montana’s system for issuing driver’s licenses intentionally sets up a hurdle that discriminates against nonbinary and transgender residents — a topic of repeated court cases for several years.

On Tuesday, the ACLU of Montana told Missoula County District Court Judge Shane Vannatta that the state’s motor vehicle application leaves only two choices, “male” and “female,” forcing nonbinary or transgender residents to lie on forms in order to get a driver’s license. Furthermore, attorneys for ACLU argued that Montana statute doesn’t even require the information for licensing drivers, so the requirement just creates a hurdle and an opportunity to discriminate.

Meanwhile, attorneys for the State of M