1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to take proactive legislative action to prevent Michigan from following Kansas's dangerous precedent of invalidating driver's licenses for transgender residents who have updated their gender markers. In late January, Kansas passed legislation that immediately invalidated driver's licenses for trans people who had changed their gender markers, with no grace period. Juniper, a 24-year-old trans woman from Wichita, had her valid license suddenly rendered invalid overnight. She had held a Kansas driver's license with an 'F' gender marker since 2020, when she was 18 years old. Her current license was issued in 2023 as a replacement for a physically damaged one and had functioned without any problems, including during routine traffic stops. Juniper received no notification that her license was invalid. She only learned through social media on the day the law took effect. This lack of communication left her and other trans Kansans vulnerable to criminal charges for driving with what the state now considers an expired license. In Wichita, a car-centric city with limited public transportation, her 15-minute car commute would become an hour and a half bus ride with multiple transfers. The bus system doesn't even run when she finishes her closing shift at the café where she works. The justifications offered during Kansas bill hearings were vague claims about medical emergencies and law enforcement needs. However, Kansas had allowed gender marker changes on licenses for 30 years without documented problems. What this law actually accomplishes is forcing trans people to disclose extremely personal medical information every time they show identification, whether applying for jobs, housing, or simply going about daily life. In Kansas, where discrimination against trans people is now legal, this exposure creates real danger. I urge you to introduce or support legislation that explicitly protects the validity of driver's licenses with updated gender markers and prevents any future attempts to invalidate them. Michigan residents deserve the security of knowing their valid identification will remain valid.