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| Screenshot: @jamesissmiling/TikTok |
In a self-congratulatory TikTok post, transgender activist James Rose recently boasted about exploiting a “loophole” to change the sex listed on his Florida driver’s license to female, despite state legislation that explicitly prohibits such alterations.
Rose’s celebratory moment, however, was short-lived as Florida’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) swiftly corrected the error and issued a replacement license identifying Rose as male.
In January 2024, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) implemented a policy prohibiting transgender residents from updating the gender marker on their driver’s licenses to reflect their gender identity.
On December 20, 2024, James Rose, a biological male who identifies as female, posted a video claiming to have successfully bypassed Florida’s strict regulations. The activist gleefully announced that his driver’s license now displayed “female” as the sex marker.
In a TikTok captioned “BIG WIN FOR THE DOLLS, BIG LOSS FOR RHONDA,” Rose mocked Governor Ron DeSantis and his administration.
Rose explained that the loophole allowed him to bypass state requirements by replacing a lost driver’s license instead of renewing it. By presenting a passport that listed his gender as female—a document that permits self-identification under Biden’s federal rules—Rose claimed to have forced the state DMV to follow suit.
Transcript below:
“I just got my gender changed on my driver’s license in the free f—king state of Florida. My God, Ron DeSantis would be screaming right now if he knew about this. This little license now says female on it.
I can’t show you because then you would know way too much about me, but it says female. This was the last step in changing all of my documents. This was not easy. You’re not even supposed to be able to do this in this state.
Here’s the loophole. Listen up.
If you’re replacing your driver’s license, not renewing it, but replacing it because you lost it, they have to take all of your information from what they consider a primary document.
A passport is considered a primary document, and you can self-identify on your passport, which means—loophole—you can self-identify on your Florida f—king driver’s license.
So my passport says female, and I showed it to them. They made a bunch of copies and had a whole f—king team meeting in the back. I sh—t you not. There were eight people looking at it, looking at me, looking back.
I swear I was like… I just felt like I was going to cry. It’s so humiliating sometimes to be in a hostile state. If you live in a hostile state, you know what I’m talking about.
I don’t know how possible it is to do this in every other red state. I don’t know the loopholes everywhere else as well as I know them here.
Then, on the way out of the DMV, a guy rolled down the window of his Ford F-250 and yelled, “Nice dick,” at me. So, good things don’t last forever, but that license is going to last 10 years.
I am wishing all trans people a positive and easy “get your documents in order” December. And Ron DeSantis, you can suck my trans.”
🔥 OMG: This transgender posted a whole video bragging about changing his gender on his Florida driver's license - something not allowed in Florida - via a "loophole."
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 7, 2025
Florida then sent him a letter, thanked him, and reverted his gender.@libsoftiktok pic.twitter.com/1xw5jCDUgS
After the video gained traction, the incident caught the attention of Florida officials.
On January 6, 2025, the FLHSMV issued an official letter to Rose, invalidating the altered license and reinstating the original designation of male.
The letter clarified that Florida law requires driver’s licenses to reflect the individual’s biological sex as determined by “innate and immutable biological and genetic characteristics,” not gender identity.
The letter further stated that Rose’s public comments had been instrumental in bringing the error to the department’s attention. To ensure such mistakes do not occur in the future, FLHSMV announced plans to audit similar cases and issue reminders to local offices about the statutory requirements.
In addition to correcting the license, the letter hinted at potential legal consequences for Rose.
Under Florida law, knowingly providing false information in a driver’s license application constitutes fraud, a punishable offense that could result in license suspension or revocation. The letter alluded to Rose’s possible misrepresentation about losing their original license to initiate the replacement process.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ press secretary, Jeremy Redfern, took to Twitter to address the situation, sharing a repost of Rose’s TikTok video from the Libs of TikTok account. Redfern clarified that the license had already been canceled and replaced with a corrected version.
“FLHSMV cancelled his license and sent him a corrected one that says “male.” That’s some dedicated service. He should thank them,” Redfern wrote.
TGPFLHSMV cancelled his license and sent him a corrected one that says “male.”
— Jeremy Redfern (@JeremyRedfernFL) January 7, 2025
That’s some dedicated service. He should thank them. https://t.co/UzW5Ultx28 pic.twitter.com/3IG9YICIb4
