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New York — The Kansas state government has declared driver’s licenses and birth certificates of transgender residents invalid after changes were made to their gender information. The law took effect Thursday.
More than 1,000 people are affected by this measure. The law requires those affected to change their gender identity to the sex specified at birth and prohibits them from making retroactive changes to these documents in the future.
Those affected must pay for their new driver’s licenses themselves.
The law also requires transgender people to use restrooms and changing rooms in government-owned or leased buildings that correspond to the sex specified at birth.
Increasing Restrictions Faced by Transgender People in the U.S.
Transgender people face increasing restrictions at both the state and national levels in the United States. Since returning to the presidency last year, Republican President Donald Trump has pursued a hardline approach and issued several executive orders restricting the rights of transgender people.
One of Trump’s directives states that the U.S. government recognizes only two genders: male and female. Another bill aimed at excluding transgender athletes from women’s sports.
Harper Serdin, senior attorney for the LGBTQ and AIDS Project at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), said the new Kansas law “puts transgender people at risk when interacting with police or applying for jobs, housing, or social benefits.”
“Their public image doesn’t match the information on their driver’s licenses, putting them at risk of discrimination and violence. That’s why many transgender people choose to change the gender label on their driver’s licenses so they can live in society as their true selves and protect themselves.”
Kansas residents were originally allowed to change the gender label on their driver’s licenses and birth certificates until 2023. This was then halted after a lawsuit filed by Republican Attorney General Chris Kobach. Last year, a court allowed transgender residents to make such changes again. The state legislature then introduced the bill, which went into effect after the Kansas legislature overturned a veto by Democratic Governor Laura Kelly.
Serdin said the ACLU expects to file a lawsuit against the law Friday evening. — Reuters