A few weeks ago, the Department of Finance and Administration approved a ridiculous and unconstitutional “emergency” rule that removed the “X” gender identity option on drivers’ licenses, ordered by Governor Sanders.
DFA claimed this was an “emergency” because law enforcement couldn’t approach folks being detained with “confidence” in their safety, which is… Hold on, let’s check the dictionary – ah yes, distinctly not the definition of emergency.
This is – hold on, checking the dictionary again – blatant discrimination. Only 342 licenses and 174 state IDs use the marker, according to Little Rock Public Radio. That’s just over 500 folks in a state of over 3 million.
Can you imagine the state government – the most powerful institution in citizens’ day to day lives – looking at 500 people and saying “Actually, we ARE going to target you, specifically, and make your life harder for no other reason than we can?”
This isn’t an emergency. The X policy is over a decade old. There’s nothing wrong with just leaving people alone, especially people who already have it harder in life. In fact, it’s usually easier and cheaper than the alternative, which conservatives would know if they were actually conservatives.
We’re for Liberty and Justice, and this policy provides neither.
What was especially disappointing was seeing legislators – meant to be the voice of the people – bend over backwards to let Sanders do whatever she wanted. Par for the course, but this was egregious. They refused any kind of public comment at the meeting, they largely refused to ask any real questions of the DFA representatives, and the majority brushed aside Democrats’ very real concerns and great questions with nary a second thought.
And so, predictably, the ACLU is suing the state (again). Arkansas will almost certainly lose the lawsuit, whether on technical grounds – there’s really no emergency – or on the merits – it is, and we cannot emphasize this enough, obvious, blatant, and purposeful discrimination. Lawsuits cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not a few million bucks.
This is what culture war BS gets us. An administration willing to punch down on 500 folks will try again with a thousand folks, and then ten thousand, and they’ll keep punching down until they’re voted out of power forever. This is a slippery slope. Meanwhile, our hard-earned tax dollars are going to fighting lawsuits that will fail.
She could be governing. Instead, this is what she chooses to do with our state’s name and resources.
Utterly pathetic.