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1h ago

Kansas Law Instantly Invalidates Transgender IDs and Birth Certificates

Civil-rights groups plan an immediate court challenge to SB 244 after the state ordered affected residents to surrender licenses with no grace period.

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Small transgender and LGBTQ rights flags sit on the desks of Kansas state Reps. Tobias Schlingensiepen, right, D-Topeka, and Kirk Haskins, left, also D-Topeka, in the Kansas House chamber, protesting a new law that will prevent transgender people from changing their driver's licenses and birth certificates to reflect their gender identities and nullify past changes, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kansas. (AP Photo/John Hanna)
The ACLU has filed a lawsuit challenging a new state law that includes an anti-transgender bathroom bill and prohibits gender marker changes on driver's licenses.
Transgender rights activists gather outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 13, 2026. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo

Overview

  • The law took effect Thursday upon publication, and state agencies began mailing notices declaring certain IDs invalid and directing immediate surrender.
  • Officials estimate roughly 1,500 driver’s licenses and more than 1,800 birth certificates could be reverted, with recipients required to pay replacement fees.
  • There is no grace period, and driving without a valid license can bring a class B misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
  • SB 244 also bars future gender-marker changes and restricts bathroom and locker-room use in government buildings, with a private right to sue carrying at least $1,000 in damages.
  • Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto was overridden by Republican supermajorities, and the ACLU says it plans to challenge the law in court as advocates warn of impacts on voting and daily life.