Enhanced Library Card Drive

UPDATE: We reached our goal of 100 pledges! Thank you to everyone who joined us in normalizing the use of gender-free IDs here in Austin. As promised, our Enhanced Library Card Drive Celebration will be happening Sunday, September 14th at Double Trouble on North Loop Blvd. Join us for a fun afternoon of drag performances and party games, and bring your Enhanced Library Card with you for a chance at winning a superlative!

RSVP here: https://actionnetwork.org/events/trba-enhanced-library-card-pledge-drive-celebration/


Austin DSA’s Trans Rights and Bodily Autonomy Campaign invites you to join our Enhanced Library Card Drive!

House Bill 229, which will take effect on September 1, 2025, has codified reproductive system-based definitions of immutable, biological sex into state law. While Ken Paxton issued a legal opinion prompting DPS to stop issuing gender marker changes on state IDs/driver’s licenses in 2024, the Attorney General’s opinion is not law. HB 229 is about to become the law of the land. While we have yet to see what effects HB 229 will have, we anticipate it will prevent transgender Texans from seeking gender marker changes on their IDs.

We’re all getting gender marker-free photo IDs to say "f*ck you" to Greg Abbott, Ken Paxton, and all of the state legislators who refuse to recognize transgender Texans’ right to self-determination. The Austin Public Library offers a form of secondary identification to Austin residents called an Enhanced Library Card, which is an acceptable form of ID for much of the city's government agencies and community organizations, including the Austin Police Department and Austin Municipal Courts. It also doesn't have a gender marker, meaning ELCs can be used to identify yourself to these agencies without outing yourself or disclosing your gender identity.

That’s not all! We’re getting ELCs in solidarity, too. Enhanced Library Cards are also recommended for people in other marginalized communities, like those who are unhoused and undocumented immigrants. Even if you aren’t transgender, it’s a good idea to get an ELC. The more people that have and use ELCs as a form of identification, the more its use is normalized, so someone providing an ELC to a police officer won’t be immediately singled out. Protect yourself and other vulnerable members of our Austin community at the same time!

Sign the pledge to get an Enhanced Library Card with us and use it as a primary form of identification whenever possible. Stick it to the man, and join us for an ELC party when 100 people sign up for ELCs by August 15th (stay tuned for party details)!


Information about how to obtain an Enhanced Library Card can be found here: https://library.austintexas.gov/enhanced

Enhanced Library Cards are available at nine Austin Public Library locations, which include:

  • Central Library, 710 W. César Chávez St.
  • Cepeda Branch, 651 N. Pleasant Valley Rd.
  • Little Walnut Creek Branch, 835 W. Rundberg Ln
  • Menchaca Road Branch, 5500 Menchaca Rd.
  • Milwood Branch, 12500 Amherst Dr.
  • Ruiz Branch, 1600 Grove Blvd.
  • St. John Branch, 7500 Blessing Ave.
  • Southeast Branch, 5803 Nuckols Crossing Rd.
  • Terrazas Branch, 1105 E. César Chávez St.