More than 1,700 transgender people had their licenses revoked last month because the law in Kansas prohibits trans people from changing their gender marker on their licenses. Kansas is one of five states with this law, and it is also the first to pass a law that cancels licenses that were already changed.
Kansas also has a law that birth certificates will be invalidated if the gender marker is changed as well. Almost hundreds of trans people have received letters from the states claiming that their documents were immediately invalid and they “may be subject to additional penalties” if they continue to drive. They would have to surrender their license to the Kansas Division of Vehicles, and they must receive a new license with their birth sex.
Many transgender people spoke up, like 41-year-old Jaelynn Abegg, who received a letter. “It is a continuation of the message that the Legislature has been sending out for years now, and that is that transgender people are not welcome in Kansas.” Abegg claimed that she will not give up her license and she will be moving out of the state. A state representative, Mark Schreiber, is the only Republican to vote against the bill that prohibits trans people from using the bathroom that aligns with their gender identities. He spoke out to NBC news and said, “I don’t have any trans folks in my family, but I know trans people…And we seem to keep passing laws that keep getting in the way of that.”
Kansas Attorney General, Kris Kobach sued the state, arguing that allowing people to update their gender markers violated the 2023 state law. So Kobach backed up the new bill about prohibiting trans people to use bathrooms of their gender identities and Kobach claimed in court that the department has already sent out letters to 275 Kansans for their licenses. Kobach claimed he would “correct an error” by the courts when he backed the new bill in Jan. 2026.
Some trans individuals who live in Kansas still have not received the letter and are anxiously waiting to see their “invalid license” appear. Matthew Neumann has not received a letter yet, but he claims, “I’m just hoping that maybe this is the wake up call we need.”
Kansas revoked driver’s licenses of 1,700 transgender residents
