A policy change at the Texas Department of Public Safety says transgender Texans can no longer change the sex on their driver’s license or I.D. to align with their gender identity.

As a transgender woman and president of a McAllen-based nonprofit that advocates for transgender rights, Madeleine Croll said she’s seen a “considerable amount of concern” from the people she helps.

“It’s persecution and marginalization for no particular reason,” Croll, president of the non-profit organization GenTex, said. 

Under the previous DPS policy, a person could change the gender on their ID if there was a clerical error, if someone showed an amended birth certificate, or if a court order was granted.

READ MORE: Transgender Texans blocked from changing their sex on their driver’s license

Now, a gender marker on an ID will only change if there’s a clerical error.

In a statement sent to Channel 5 News, DPS said the change was made after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton recently "raised concerns regarding the validity of court orders being issued to change the sex of individuals in government records."

Channel 5 News reached out to Paxton’s office for comment but have not heard back as of Thursday evening.

Sofia Sepulveda with Equality Texas says the change can create obstacles for the more than 90 thousand people in the state who identify as transgender.

“We all need our ID’s to get a driver's license, get an apartment, a cell phone, we need a driver license and an ID,” Sepulveda said. “It’s another tactic for the attorney general to prevent us from participating in an election. Per Texas law, we need an ID, and our ID needs to match with our gender."

Sepulveda says she is now advising transgender people to try to update their passports.

“You can still go through the courts, you can still change your name, you can still change your gender and documentation through your passport, “Sepulveda said. “Please do that to at least have an identification that shows your gender marker as you intend it to be."

Croll is encouraging the Valley's transgender community to do the same.

Watch the video above for the full story.