I Really Thought the Republican Attacks Against Me Couldn't Get Worse. But One State Just Seriously Proved Me Wrong.

"In practice, the bill has, suddenly and with almost no warning, invalidated all state IDs and birth certificates that do not match the holder's gender that was assigned at birth. This will force trans Kansans who had previously changed their gender markers legally (an option that's been available for 19 years) to out themselves anytime they are required to present their IDs for any reason-a situation that is, at best, dehumanizing, and, at worst, poses a real risk of physical harm."

"One of the most immediate concrete impacts on trans Kansans is that overnight it became illegal for over 1000 of them to drive. This is a problem that ranges from deeply inconvenient for the average driver, to potentially catastrophic for anyone who relies on their car for work who may now be at risk of losing their income and even employment."

"How is someone who is unexpectedly unable to drive supposed to get to an office to reinstate their license if they don't live somewhere with access to a public transit system? They certainly can't legally drive there. And, because the National Driver Register requires license suspensions and revocations to be handled in their state of origin, a trans Kansan can't even relocate to another state to get a new license."

Kansas legislature passed SB 244, legislation defining sex and gender as binary and designated at birth. The bill suddenly invalidated all state IDs and birth certificates that do not match holders' assigned-at-birth gender, forcing trans Kansans who had legally changed their gender markers to out themselves when presenting identification. Over 1,000 trans Kansans became unable to legally drive overnight. The bill provides no grace period or provisions enabling compliance, creating practical impossibilities: trans Kansans cannot legally drive to license offices to reinstate licenses, and cannot relocate to other states due to National Driver Register requirements. This creates risks ranging from employment loss to physical harm.

Read at Slate Magazine