Is Texas Secretly Tracking Transgender Drivers?

Texas has compiled a list of more than 100 transgender drivers who attempted to change the gender on their licenses between August 2024 and August 2025, according to records obtained by The Texas Newsroom. 

The data was reported by employees from driver’s license offices statewide, including El Paso, Paris, and Plano, via a dedicated agency email account. Officials have not yet clarified the purpose of the list or whether it has been shared with other state agencies.

The move comes after the state restricted gender updates on licenses to corrections of clerical errors. 

Recent legislation in Texas has further restricted transgender rights, including measures defining “male” and “female” on state documents by reproductive system and a bathroom bill restricting public restroom access based on sex assigned at birth. 

Landon Richie of the Transgender Education Network of Texas told The Texas Newsroom, “The state collecting this information raises a lot of red flags, not just in terms of people’s privacy and ability to exist not under a magnifying glass.” He added that the list could influence future legislation targeting transgender Texans.

Historically, transgender residents could update state IDs through court orders, a process now restricted for driver’s licenses and birth certificates.

The state has kept some documents about the policy change confidential, though four employees with access to the special email account have been identified. Records also indicate that threats against the driver’s license division chief were investigated, but no cases were referred for prosecution.