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ign up for The Agenda, Them’s news and politics newsletter, delivered Thursdays. The Kansas Division of Vehicles (DOV) has instructed transgender residents to surrender their updated driver’s licenses, as one of the nation’s most extreme anti-trans laws takes effect this week. logo logo The most important LGBTQ+ news and politics stories delivered straight to your inbox Enter your email SIGN UP By signing up, you agree to our user agreement (including class action waiver and arbitration provisions), and acknowledge our privacy policy. Trans Kansans received letters from the DOV on Wednesday informing them that licenses and other state ID papers that do not match a person’s assigned sex at birth are considered invalid and must be surrendered to the state effective immediately, ostensibly giving them less than 24 hours to make accommodations, according to multiple copies of the letter reviewed by the Kansas City Star. Trending Now Jinkx Monsoon Breaks Down Her Drag Influences, Memorable RPDR Moments & More “Please note that the Legislature did not include a grace period for updating credentials,” the letter read in part. “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.” Affected residents were “directed to surrender your current credential to the Kansas Division of Vehicles” and receive a new ID — at their own expense, as SB 244 did not provide state funding to cover the reversions, the Star noted. The move comes as a result of Kansas’ SB 244, which became law on Thursday and instructs state agencies to reverse gender marker changes on official documents. Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed the legislation, but the Republican supermajority overrode her veto last week. Kansas officially recognizes only “male” and “female” as recorded at birth as valid sexes, per a state law passed in 2023. About 1,700 people are expected to have their licenses invalidated as a result of the new law, according to a legislative analysis of SB 244 conducted by the state House. The law will also invalidate amended birth certificates that were issued with a corrected gender marker. The LGBTQ Foundation of Kansas shared a copy of one letter on Instagram, with identifying information redacted. Representatives for the nonprofit noted that some Kansas counties will hold special elections next week, and trans residents without valid photo ID cards will not be able to cast a vote under existing state law. At least three other states have passed laws banning gender marker changes on driver’s licenses, but Kansas is now the only U.S. state to require such previous changes be reverted, according to KCTV. Image may contain: Sudha Murthy, Mike Farris, Adult, Person, Parade, Clothing, Footwear, Shoe, People, Face, and Head Anti-Trans Kansas Republicans Ram Through Vague “State of Undress” Bathroom Bill The legislation would also undo any altered gendered markers on identity documents. “The persecution is the point,” said Rep. Abi Boatman, Kansas’ only trans state legislator, in a statement to the Star on Wednesday. “It tells me that Kansas Republicans are interested in being on the vanguard of the culture war and in a race to the bottom,” she added in a comment to KCTV. SB 244 also makes using a public facility designated for use by the “opposite sex” a civil violation subject to fines and possible jail time. An initial violation of the law can result in an official warning, but a second would carry a $1,000 fine. A third violation could be charged as a class B misdemeanor, which carries a maximum penalty of a $1,000 fine and a six-month jail sentence. Private citizens can also bring a $1,000 claim against a person if they are “aggrieved” by their presence in a gendered bathroom, continuing a trend of anti-trans “bounty” laws in other states such as Texas. Republicans added the bathroom ban language to SB 244 last month, but pushed the bill through to a vote without holding public hearings on its new text. “It’s all happening very quickly, and my heart is broken for anyone who this is directly impacting,” said Jae Moyer, a nonbinary member of the Kansas-based Johnson County Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Coalition, in a statement to the Star. “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.” Get the best of what’s queer. Sign up for Them’s weekly newsletter here. Samantha Riedel is a writer and editor whose work on transgender culture and politics has previously appeared in VICE, Bitch Magazine, and The Establishment. She lives in Massachusetts, where she is presently at work on her first manuscript. ... Read More Tags identity documents The Agenda Newsletter The most important LGBTQ+ news and politics stories delivered straight to your inbox SIGN UP By signing up, you agree to our user agreement (including class action waiver and arbitration provisions), and acknowledge our privacy policy.