Topeka, Kansas — A new Kansas law requiring residents to list their birth sex on official state documents took effect Thursday, invalidating updated driver’s licenses and birth certificates for more than 1,000 transgender residents.
Senate Bill 244 mandates that Kansans use the gender assigned at birth on state-issued identification and in certain government facilities, including restrooms and locker rooms. Individuals who violate the measure twice face a $1,000 civil penalty, with subsequent violations treated as a class B misdemeanor. Government entities found in violation could face fines up to $125,000.
The Republican-led Legislature passed the bill last month. Gov. Laura Kelly (D) vetoed it, but lawmakers overrode her veto earlier this month. Under the law, residents who need new licenses must pay a fee capped at $8, to be set by Secretary of Revenue Mark Burghart.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas criticized the measure as discriminatory and announced plans to challenge it in court. ACLU attorney Harper Seldin told Reuters a legal filing is expected by the end of the week.
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