After several years of preparation, the Illinois Secretary of State's office has been making the X gender designation available for non-binary residents and others not utilizing the M or F designations since the beginning of 2024. Illinois now joins 21 other states with similar rules in place.
Office of the Secretary of State officials told Windy City Times that the designation, which was approved in 2019, was held up while the vendor who makes the state's licenses and IDs overhauled their software for the change. Additionally, the Office had to take time to educate law enforcement and healthcare stakeholders about the new marker
The change required modifying over 285 legacy COBOL programs and perform in-depth integration testing, according to a March 11 statement.
"Unfortunately, Illinoisians wanting a gender-neutral marker on their driver's licenses or ID cards have been forced to wait for years because of government inefficiency," said Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias in that statement. "I've made it clear that this five-year delay was unacceptable and needed fixing. Non-binary, intersex and gender non-conforming Illinoisans no longer have to wait to get a driver's license or State ID that affirms and reflects who they are."
Giannoulias additionally thanked "gender-neutral advocacy groups, IDEMIA, law enforcement, and its other partners including healthcare and court systems that made changes to allow for recognizing and accepting the X marker."
Illinoisians wishing to utilize the X marker on their licenses or IDs should visit a DMV facility where they should complete a gender designation change form and pay the appropriate fee ($5 to change a driver's license and $10 to change an ID card). No appointment or medical authorization is needed.
See ilsos.gov for more information.