Kansas Comrades

We stand in solidarity with all members of the trans community in Kansas. There is no law that can be written that will ever stop us from loving and supporting our trans comrades, and we stand committed to affirming their humanity and dignity with love and solidarity.

SB 244, passed into law by the state legislature over Governor Laura Kelly’s veto, which prohibits transgender people from using public restrooms that align with their gender identity on government property. It also establishes a private right of action that allows anyone who suspects someone is transgender and in violation of the law to sue that person for “damages” totaling $1,000.

This new draconian law also invalidates Kansas-issued driver’s licenses with updated gender markers that reflect the carrier’s gender identity. Just a few weeks ago, transgender people across the state received letters from the state Department of Revenue’s Division of Vehicles informing them that their driver’s licenses “will no longer be valid,” effective immediately. The law also prohibits transgender Kansans, or those born in Kansas, from updating the gender marker on state-issued birth certificates and driver’s licenses in the future.

While the law took effect in February, the Kansas Department of Revenue (KDOR) issued subsequent guidance setting the March 25, 2026, deadline for surrender, stating they do not anticipate further grace periods. Such a short grace period puts an even greater and undue burden on working class trans Kansans.

This new law will quite effectively hinder, and in a lot of cases bar, the ability to legally vote, drive, or purchase firearms — among a multitude of other unjust hurdles to everyday life.

We are disheartened that some legislators think it politically convenient to target the trans community in Kansas. We find the use of our trans comrades lives as a political football revolting.