An Oakland man claims that after changing his gender, it took him around five years, several attempts, and assistance from 7 On Your Side to obtain the proper ID from the DMV.
California people can have their gender identification legally acknowledged on official papers under state law.
Jamison Sol claims he followed the DMV’s instructions to change his ID, but until 7 On Your Side got involved, he kept getting an ID that stated he was a woman.
Sol, 35, was born with a female gender assignment, but he claims he understood from an early age that he wasn’t.
“I knew that I was masculine and wanted to be a man when I was 12 years old,” Sol stated.
After making the change in 2020, he proceeded to formalize it on paper.
“It starts with getting a court order from your city,” Sol stated.
After changing his birth certificate at a county office, he proceeded to the social security office.
“Then I took all of that, my social security card, my birth certificate, I went to the DMV and it’s been four years, five years of trying to get them to change it,” Sol stated.
“It’s really hard to convey how upsetting it was,” he added.
It was upsetting because the DMV continued to mail him fresh ID cards that stated he was female after he made the decision to transition and followed the procedures to do so.
Sol, who paid for each of the three IDs, claimed, “I got three separate IDs with a female marker on it.”
“As my appearance was gradually changing to the point where, to the average person, I’m not female, I don’t look female, I don’t represent female,” he said.
For Sol, the encounter was startling.
“I had meltdowns every time they delivered an ID that was wrong.”
“To a trans person, they spend all their time just trying to be themselves and they’re constantly reminded about what they’re not living up to in their life. And to be delivered something like that and to have to like show it… it’s devastating, it’s crushing,” Sol stated.
We called the DMV after his friend called 7 On Your Side.
“As soon as I sent the story, that day, I believe I got a call from the DMV,” Sol stated.
The DMV acknowledged in a statement to 7 On Your Side that the previous ID cards were issued in error. They gave me a new card for free.
Minnesota state Senator is charged with luring a Minor into Prostitution
Sol remarked with relief, “I don’t know how you did it, finally.”
Neither Sol nor we know why the first three were incorrect. For information on how to apply and change one’s gender identity on a driver’s license or identification card, the DMV referred 7 On Your Side to its website. According to Sol, he took those actions all three occasions.
The DMV now claims that it is in the process of giving him a reimbursement for the ID cards that were issued in error.
San Francisco Walgreens Employee Stabs Alleged Shoplifter in Eye, Caught on Camera
After five years, Sol’s identification is matched on his ID card.
“I don’t know I just feel complete in a way I feel like I have everything I need to be just myself and to move on and to live my life,” Sol remarked.
As part of its continuous modernization efforts, the DMV claims that as of October 2024, users can validate their gender identity directly within the online application without filling out an additional form. Additionally, the government claims that it is applicable to every Californian without exception.
