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South Carolina: Transgender Teen Wins DMV Settlement

HeadlineApr 23, 2015

In South Carolina, a transgender teenager has won the right to wear makeup in her driver’s license photo after suing the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles. Chase Culpepper said DMV employees forced her to remove her makeup to “look male” for her initial picture. Under the terms of a settlement, the DMV will allow people to be photographed however they typically appear. Culpepper called the settlement a major victory for transgender rights.

Chase Culpepper: “I’m thrilled to be standing before you announcing this historic settlement with the South Carolina DMV. From day one, all that I wanted was to get a driver’s license that looks like me. And now that I can finally have my photo taken with makeup, my new license will reflect that. I brought this case because what happened to me was wrong. It was hurtful to be singled out for being transgender.”

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