“I couldn't go where I wanted to go, when I wanted to go. I feel like I was guilty of a crime I didn't commit, like I’m being punished by the state for being who I am,' Darcy Corbitt told The Daily Beast
in the House, the legislation would make treatments like hormones and puberty blockers a class C felony in Alabama. Medical providers could face up to 10 years in prison and a $15,000 fine.
Under the policies that Alabama is fighting to defend in court, Arkles says there’s a difference between how they are written and how they are actually implemented. Although the DMV only stipulates a requirement that trans drivers receive gender-affirming surgery prior to correcting their licenses, that language is vague and can be inconsistently interpreted.
While trans people are legally allowed to drive in Alabama with an uncorrected license, it can be extremely dangerous to do so. A 2015 survey from the Clark says it’s “really sad” to know that countless trans youth across Alabama could be subjected to the same mistreatment she was, but it also motivates her to keep lobbying to overturn the state’s policies. Along with Corbitt and a third anonymous defendant, she is a co-plaintiff in the TLDEF lawsuit currently being heard by the 11th Circuit. The plaintiffs are also being represented in the case by the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Alabama.