1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to support federal legislation that protects transgender Americans' right to accurate identity documents. Kansas recently passed a law in late January that invalidated driver's licenses for transgender residents who had changed their gender markers, with no grace period. Licenses became invalid overnight, and trans Kansans driving with these now-invalid licenses face criminal charges. Juniper, a 24-year-old trans woman from Wichita, had maintained a Kansas driver's license with an 'F' gender marker since 2020 when she was 18 years old. She received no notification that her license was suddenly invalid and only learned about it through social media on the day the law took effect. Her current license was issued in 2023 as a replacement for a physically broken license and had never caused problems, including during a traffic stop. The practical impact is severe. Juniper relies on driving in Wichita, a car-centric city where her 15-minute car commute becomes an hour and a half bus ride with multiple transfers. The bus system doesn't run when she finishes her closing shift at the café where she works. Without valid identification, she must now share extremely personal medical information every time she shows her ID when applying for apartments or jobs. Because discrimination against trans people is now legal in Kansas, every job application exposes this information. During bill hearings, Kansas Bureau of Investigation officer Bob Stuart testified that licenses needed to match biological sex because it would determine whether someone would be told to have a wonderful day or be detained for further questioning. This justification reveals the law's true purpose: enabling discrimination and harassment. Kansas invalidated a legal precedent that had existed for 30 years without causing issues. Federal protections are necessary to prevent states from weaponizing identity documents against transgender Americans. I urge you to support legislation that ensures all Americans can obtain accurate identification documents that reflect who they are.