Gay Immigrant Jose Antonio Vargas Can’t Drive

When gay Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas came out in The New York Times Magazine in June as an undocumented immigrant, he knew the repercussions could come swiftly.

“The moment I decided to do this,” Vargas said, “I had to be prepared for anything and everything that can happen — whatever those things may be.”

Turns out Washington State officials were quick on the draw. According to The Huffington Post, the state has canceled his driver's license.

Officials opened an investigation after Vargas's essay was published, Department of Licensing spokeswoman Christine Anthony said. "We conducted in an investigation and concluded that he wasn't residing at the address he provided us," she said.

The Licensing Department sent Vargas a letter requesting proof of residency, says HuffPo, and when the letter was returned unread, the state canceled his license Monday.

In the Times Magazine, Vargas wrote about the anxiety over his driver’s license: “Early this year, just two weeks before my 30th birthday, I won a small reprieve: I obtained a driver's license in the state of Washington. The license is valid until 2016. This offered me five more years of acceptable identification — but also five more years of fear, of lying to people I respect and institutions that trusted me, of running away from who I am.”