Your Papers Please

I think those words run shivers up the spine of trans people everywhere. Whether it is for going to an airport, or being stopped by a cop, or voting.

Many states have you jump through hoops in order to change your documentation, in some states you need to have surgery to change your gender markers and in a couple states you can never change your name and gender marker. So when it comes to jobs or voting you have to show your ID that does not match you.

Transgender woman was asked for ID to vote in Mecklenburg. Why activists are worried.
Charlotte Observer
By Alison Kuznitz
November 9, 2019

Transgender advocates are fearful that a new state law requiring North Carolina voters to provide photo ID at the polls in 2020 will lead to discrimination — and potentially, disenfranchisement — against people who are gender nonconforming.

Polls workers will require implicit bias training, activists say, to avoid discrimination. They’re worried because many gender nonconforming people are often unable to afford legal name changes, including on driver’s licenses.

During Tuesday’s election, a transgender woman was asked to show her ID at a polling station in Cornelius, though the law is not yet in effect, WSOC first reported Friday.

Toward the end of the article I feel it sums it up nicely,

“It’s not like dealing with a rude employee at a business place,” Baron said. “This is fundamentally questioning someone’s legitimacy as a human being. That can only happen so many times until you don’t have the strength to keep fighting back.”

That is exactly what the Republicans had in mind when they passed the law… to dehumanize us, to disenfranchise us, to force us back into the closet, and to make us second class citizens.

I was questioned once at the polling place, it was a minor challenge, but still it was a challenge when I was asked if I was the person on my driver license… it has a photo of me on it but still the guy checking IDs at the door questioned me.

Have you ever had a problem with voting?