More than 1,000 Transgender Kansans were informed by the State Government, that their Driver’s Licenses and Birth Certificates have been Legally Invalidated, after a New Law took effect on 2/26/2026. The Law, SB 244, Demands that those Documents reflect the Credential Holder’s “Sex at Birth,” even if this goes against their current Gender Identity and Presentation.
It asks the Director of the Kansas Division of Vehicles, in charge of issuing Driver’s Licenses, and the Office of Vital Statistics, in charge of issuing Birth Certificates, to Invalidate and Reissue these Documents “when necessary to correct the sex identification on such certificates.” The Bill also Forbids Residents from Changing their Gender on those Documents in the Future.
Affected Kansans have No Grace Period for Updating the Credentials and must pay $8 for their New Driver’s Licenses. If found to be Driving without a Valid Driver’s License, they “may be subject to additional penalties,” according to a Letter by the Kansas Department of Revenue. The Transgender Community, which accounts for 1.0% of the Total U.S. Population, or just over 2.8 million People, according to Data from the Williams Institute, has been facing Increasing Restrictions over the past few years, as it found itself at the heart of the so-called Culture Wars.
Bans on Trans People using Public Bathrooms and Facilities such as Locker Rooms, Shower Rooms, and Changing Rooms, have Boomed across the Country, generally pushed by Republican Lawmakers. The moves are Ideologically backed by Trump (R), who during His First days back in the White House, Issued Executive Orders Declaring there are just Two Sexes: Female and Male. “These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality,” the Order Signed on January 20th stated.
In 11/2025, the Supreme Court Allowed the Trump Administration to Enforce a Policy Banning Transgender Citizens from Choosing Passport Sex Markers, Aligning to their Gender Identity. Transgender Kansans were Allowed to Change their Gender Markers on their Driver’s Licenses and Birth Certificates until 2023, when these Changes were Halted by Litigation started by the State’s Attorney general, Kris Kobach (R).
The possibility of Changing the GenderMmarkers on those Documents was Resumed 2025, but has now been Blocked by the New Law introduced by Republican Lawmakers. Governor Laura Kelly (D) had Argued that the Bill was “poorly drafted legislation,” but Her Veto was Overridden by the Republican-Led State Legislature.
Jill Bronaugh, a Spokesperson for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said that the Agency had Identified over 1,800 Birth Certificates that have had the “Sex” Marker Changed. Reuters said that the Law has Affected over 1,000 Residents. The New Law also Bans Transgender People from using Bathrooms and Locker Rooms that do Not Match their Sex Assigned at Birth in Buildings Owned or Leased by Government Entities.
It also Allows any Private Citizen to take Legal Action to Denounce Individuals Suspected of Breaking this Section of the Law and Seek “either actual damages or liquidated damages in the amount of $1,000, as well as declaratory and injunctive relief” for it. Any Individual found in Violation of this Section of the Bill Face a Written Warning Upon First Violation; after a Second Offense, they will receive a Civil Penalty of $1,000.
A Letter sent by the Kansas Department of Revenue, to Affected Transgender Kansas Residents reads: “Pursuant to the new law, if the gender/sex indication on the face of your current credential does not match your sex assigned at birth, you are directed to surrender your current credential to the Kansas Division of Vehicles.”
Harper Seldin, a Senior Staff Attorney with the LGBTQ and HIV Project at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), said in a Statement that the New Law “puts transgender people in danger any time they interact with law enforcement or apply for a job or for housing or public benefits.”
He added: “The mismatch between how they present themselves in the world and their driver’s license puts them at risk of discrimination or violence, and so that’s why many trans people choose to change the sex markers on our licenses so that we can live as ourselves in society and keep ourselves safe.”
Kelley Robinson, the President of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a Press Release: “Forcing people into the wrong bathrooms, stripping them of accurate IDs, and allowing government-sanctioned harassment doesn’t make anyone safer – it targets transgender Kansans for no reason and will undoubtedly impact many others who are targeted with animus whether or not they are transgender.”
The ACLU said that it was Planning on Filing a Lawsuit Challenging the New Law by the End of 2/27/2026.
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