S.C. agency changes policies after lawsuit by transgender teen (+video)

All applicants for S.C. driver’s licenses now can wear makeup, regardless of their gender, after a transgender S.C. teenager sued the state Department of Motor Vehicles.

When Chase Culpepper sought a driver’s license, the transgender teen, now 17, was told she had to remove her makeup before a photo could be taken. As part of the settlement, Culpepper will be allowed to get a new photograph, wearing makeup.

“From Day 1, all that I wanted was to get a driver’s license that looks like me,” Culpepper said during a news conference Wednesday. “And, now, that I can finally have my photo taken with makeup, my new license will reflect that.”

Culpepper said it was hurtful to be singled out for being transgender.

Applicants now will be photographed for a driver’s license appearing the way they look on a regular basis, “even when their hair, makeup or clothing doesn’t match the DMV’s expectations of how a man or woman should look,” Culpepper said.

Motor Vehicles employees also will be trained on the policy changes, and the agency will issue a written apology to Culpepper.

Motor Vehicles declined to comment Wednesday on the lawsuit or its settlement.

Teresa Culpepper, Chase’s mother, said it was hurtful to see her child discriminated against by a government official.

“However, because of Chase’s bravery, she was able to overcome this and make it better for not only herself, but all of the transgender and gender non-conforming people here in South Carolina,” Teresa Culpepper said.

Marshall Winn, Culpepper’s attorney, said the settlement “recognizes that all South Carolinians have rights to deal with state agencies without discrimination.”

This story was originally published April 22, 2015 at 12:59 PM with the headline "S.C. agency changes policies after lawsuit by transgender teen (+video)."