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Transgender residents of Kansas have received letters informing them that a new state law requires them to forfeit their driver’s licenses if they include a gender marking that doesn’t match the sex identity they were assigned at birth.
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 (even in private establishments) that doesn’t correspond to the sex they were assigned at birth.
The bill was passed into law by the state legislature earlier this month, overriding a veto from Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.
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.
Earlier this week, 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 once the law is officially enacted, your current credentials will be invalid immediately, and you may be subject to additional penalties if you are operating a vehicle without a valid credential.”
The law goes into effect on Thursday. Violators of the new law could face up to six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine if they do not produce an ID compliant with the law when stopped.
Critics say the bill is unnecessary and unfairly targets transgender people in the state.
“It’s all happening very quickly, and my heart is broken for anyone who this is directly impacting,” said Jae Moyer, an LGBTQ activist in Kansas.
Moyer added:
This bill that the Republicans forced through the Legislature so quickly is doing nothing but causing a problem that doesn’t exist . . . It’s clearly something they’ve wanted to do for a long time, and it’s at the expense of members of marginalized communities.
“The persecution is the point,” said state Rep. Abi Boatman (D), the only openly trans person in the state legislature.
Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, decried the new law as detrimental and far-reaching.
“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,” Robinson said.
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