ANDERSON, S.C. – A transgender group settled its federal lawsuit against the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles to allow a transgender teen to retake her driver’s license photo.
The Transgender Legal Defense & Education (TLDEF) fought the lawsuit on behalf of 16-year-old Chase Culpeper who was the victim of discrimination in March 2014 when she attempted to get her first driver’s license, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit also says that the SC DMV workers told the teen that she needed to “look male” in her license photo and was told to remove the makeup she was wearing.
The case has been settled and the SC DMV agrees to allow Culpepper to retake her license photo wearing her everyday makeup, apologize, and change policy to ensure that “Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People will be treated fairly and respectfully.”
