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(INDIANAPOLIS) – The already thorny hate crime issue got an unexpected disruption this week from an unexpected source:a dustup over driver’s licenses.

The BMV gives transgender Hoosiers the option of an “X” on their driver’s license instead of M for male or F for female. An amendment to remove that option brought the House to a halt for an hour this week before it was withdrawn. Speaker Brian Bosma says it’s also thrown a wrench into behind-the-scenes hate crime discussions.

Bosma won’t go into detail, but says injecting an issue that’s an emotional one for many legislators complicated the debate, and prompted a couple to change their position.

Bosma says he believes the driver’s license issue has been settled. People who don’t identify with a single gender and want the “X” would first need to get their birth certificate changed, which Bosma says most people transitioning to a new gender do anyway. He says only two Hoosiers have pursued the X in the lsat year.

(Photo: csfotos/Getty Images)