Some Indiana Lawmakers Want To Remove Gender Option 'X' On Driver's Licenses

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A driver's license controversy is brewing in Indiana over a new option to select a gender other than male or female.

It's called option "X," and it's only been a choice for a few weeks, and some Indiana legislators are already trying to get rid of it.

Supporters of the non-binary community argue this will be the wave of the future.

"It's always a conflict trying to decide," said Doc Dutour, who identifies gender queer and non-binary. "I have to put something down. They want the established answer, and that doesn't always work for me."

That's why Dutour was elated when starting this month, Indiana's Bureau of Motor Vehicles decided to offer a third gender option to follow the standards recommended by the American Academy of Motor Vehicle Administrators -- option X.

Dutour is now in the process of gathering the paperwork to apply.

Amari Victoria, a transgender woman and executive director of LGBTQ Northwest Indiana, said the option goes a long way to relieve a huge source of stress.

"To have a third gender marker is a very affirming, very validating gesture," Victoria said.

But not everyone is thrilled with it.

Republican Rep. Matt Hostettler filed an amendment to a senate bill Tuesday that would have eliminated the option. The amendment was ultimately not called up for a vote.

A different bill that passed out of committee Wednesday would make it harder to prove a new gender identity, requiring applicants to change their birth certificates first.

"I don't think I need to prove that I go by an X gender," Dutour said. "Nobody has asked me to prove that I go by an 'F' gender before."

In the meantime, Indiana is one of at least six states that gives an X option.

Illinois is not one of them, but the ACLU of Illinois hopes Indiana will set a precedent.

ACLU Illinois spokesman Ed Yohnka responded Wednesday to the biggest critique of the X label, which is that it is too broad.

"There is a criticism, and I hear it, that essentially this doesn't capture everything," he said. "I think that's fair. But what I also think is fair is let's make progress where we can and then address those things as we move forward."

CBS 2 reached out to those lawmakers involved with the pushback legislation but so far has not received responses.

The Indiana BMV will not comment on pending legislation.