(INDIANAPOLIS) -- Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles officials say customers will no longer be allowed to change the gender marker on their driver's licenses or state identification cards beginning Thursday.
The BMV announced the policy change will take effect this week, ending a process that previously allowed residents to update their gender marker using a court order or a physician's statement. Until now, acceptable documentation included an amended birth certificate or medical verification of a gender change.
The change follows an executive order signed by Governor Mike Braun in March 2025 directing state agencies to base official records on biological sex rather than gender identity. As part of that order, the Indiana Department of Health was instructed to stop altering birth certificates to reflect gender identity.
State officials say the rule change went through a public comment period and was formally published earlier this month. BMV leaders said the decision was made to comply with the governor's directive.
The move comes after a federal court ruled Indiana can require biological sex to be listed on birth certificates, a decision that followed a class-action lawsuit challenging the state's policy.
Indiana previously offered a nonbinary "X" gender option on driver's licenses and state IDs beginning in 2019, though that policy was later stalled following objections from state lawmakers.
Advocacy groups for LGBTQ+ Hoosiers have criticized the change, arguing it limits access to accurate identification and could create safety and employment challenges for affected individuals.
The BMV says the new policy will be in place statewide starting Thursday.