Kansas Invalidates Transgender People's IDs After GOP Legislature Passes New Law

"Kansas House Substitute Bill 244 changes the state definition of "gender" to mean a person's "biological sex at birth," a definition that is rejected by many health organizations, including the American Psychological Association. The bill is commonly referred to as the "bathroom bounty" bill, because it allows residents of the state to report transgender people to local authorities if they suspect they're using a restroom that doesn't correspond to the sex they were assigned at birth."

"Beyond bathroom restrictions, the law also forbids the recognition of gender changes to a person's identifying documents, including birth certificates and driver's licenses. Several transgender residents in the state reported receiving letters from the Kansas Division of Vehicles (KDOV), informing them that they must relinquish their current IDs to the state if they contain gender markers that are incongruent with the new law's directives."

""Please note that the Legislature did not include a grace period for updating credentials," the letter states to these residents. "That means that o[nly immediate compliance is required]." The law goes into effect on Thursday with no transition period for the people it affects."

Kansas House Substitute Bill 244 redefines gender as biological sex at birth, rejecting definitions used by major health organizations like the American Psychological Association. The law prohibits gender marker changes on identifying documents including driver's licenses and birth certificates. It also enables residents to report suspected transgender bathroom use to authorities, earning it the nickname "bathroom bounty" bill. The legislature passed the bill over Governor Laura Kelly's veto. Transgender Kansas residents have received letters from the Division of Vehicles requiring immediate surrender of driver's licenses containing incongruent gender markers, with no transition period provided.

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