But here, each SEPTA employee who sells a pass judges whether the rider looks M or F, and if a bus driver or train conductor disagrees, the pass could be confiscated.
Adamor and fellow organizers at Riders Against Gender Exclusion (RAGE), a grassroots group formed two years ago, say the stickers make life difficult, degrading, and dangerous for anyone whose appearance is nonconforming.
And a growing number of young transgender people are intent on identifying as androgynous, he said, to emphasize that gender distinctions are unnecessary.
Consider the case of Charlene Moore-Arcila.
In 2006, when Moore-Arcila was transitioning from male to female, she boarded a SEPTA bus at the end of a long day and was confronted by a driver who said her appearance did not jibe with the sticker on her pass. He ordered her to pay an additional $2, and Moore-Arcila, too exhausted to argue, complied.
She complained later, though, and her case is pending before the city's Commission on Human Relations. SEPTA contends that as a state agency, it is not bound by the city's Fair Practices Act.
In another long-pending case, SEPTA was found in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act for not installing elevators at its City Hall station. Still, the agency said this month it may seek more time to comply.
Meanwhile, RAGE stepped up its actions last year, collecting testimony from about 20 transgender riders who said they were questioned by bus drivers, publicly mocked, and called names.
