OAN Staff Katherine Mosack and Brooke Mallory
3:07 PM – Friday, February 27, 2026
The state of Kansas has invalidated all driver’s licenses and birth certificates for transgender-identifying residents whose legal documentation does not align with their biological sex.
In an 87-37 vote, the Kansas Legislature’s Republican majority overrode a veto by Governor Laura Kelly (D-Kan.) to approve Senate Bill 244, which took effect on Thursday.
This means that an estimated 1,700 Kansas residents will need to obtain a new $26 standard driver’s license, effective immediately.
“Please note that the Legislature did not include a grace period for updating credentials. 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,” the Kansas Department of Revenue’s (KDOR) vehicle division said.
Representative Abi Boatman (D-Wichita), the legislature’s one transgender member, told Axios that the immediate deadline poses a major risk to those who drive to work.
“Driving without a valid license in Kansas is a class B misdemeanor, and folks may be subject to fines up to $1,000 and six months in jail,” Boatman said.
Nonetheless, the KDOR had already sent out letters before the law took effect, notifying residents that there would be no grace period for the rule. The letters were dated February 23rd, 2026.
Meanwhile, government entities also face a $25,000 civil penalty for a first-time failure to align with the new regulations and $125,000 for each subsequent violation.
SB 244 defines “the term ‘gender’ to mean biological sex at birth” and counters definitions of “gender” that separate the term from biological realities in favor of modern ideology and “chosen or subjective experience of gender.”
Since the bill’s enactment, left-wing critics have argued that the legislation creates a framework for state-sanctioned “persecution.” They contend that by retroactively invalidating identification documents and criminalizing the use of specific restrooms, the state is maliciously targeting the LGBTQ community.
“This legislation is a direct attack on the dignity and humanity of transgender Kansans,” Monica Bennett, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Kansas said in a statement. “It undermines our state’s strong constitutional protections against government overreach and persecution.”
Governor Kelly, responding to the override of her veto, reiterated her criticism of the bill as “a poorly drafted bill with significant, far-reaching consequences.”
“It is nothing short of ridiculous that the Legislature is forcing the entire state, every city and town, every school district, every public university to spend taxpayer money on a manufactured problem,” she said. “Kansans elected them to focus on education, job creation, housing and grocery costs.”
Last year, Kelly also vetoed Senate Bill 63, the “Help Not Harm Act,” which would have banned sex change surgeries and other medical interventions, such as hormone treatments and puberty blockers, for minors. The legislature overrode this veto, as well.
On the flip side, many conservatives argue that allowing driver’s licenses to display a gender marker that doesn’t align with a person’s biological sex assigned at birth can create significant safety risks in several key areas, particularly during emergencies or interactions with authorities.
- Medical emergencies and treatment errors: In situations like car accidents where someone might be unconscious or unable to communicate, emergency responders and medical professionals rely on quick, reliable information from IDs to guide initial care. Biological sex influences critical factors such as drug dosages, as certain medications affect men and women differently, diagnostic approaches, anatomical considerations, or even pregnancy-related risks for those who are biologically female. A mismatched marker could “blind” first responders, leading to potentially life-threatening mistakes or delays in treatment.
- Law enforcement and public safety: Accurate sex markers help police and correctional officers make safe decisions during arrests, searches, or detentions. For instance, knowing biological sex ensures appropriate pat-downs, to avoid claims of misconduct or discomfort from opposite-sex searches, and proper placement in holding facilities or jails. Mismatched IDs can complicate identification and hinder effective law enforcement, potentially endangering officers, detainees, and the community.
- Broader societal and identification integrity: Conservatives also contend that allowing changes undermines the core purpose of government-issued IDs as objective records for verification in everyday contexts, like voting, travel, or accessing services. This could enable misrepresentation or confusion in critical infrastructure, such as air traffic control or healthcare systems, where biological sex might factor into protocols.
Ultimately, Republicans see the bill as a victory for women and girls, as it mandates that private gendered spaces remain segregated by biological sex.
A 2025 STRIVE study of transgender “male-to-female” primary care patients found that only 12% of respondents had undergone vaginoplasty, meaning the large majority retain their original male genitalia. This fuels legitimate concerns among many women about privacy — such as avoiding exposure to male genitalia in shared spaces — and potential safety risks, including the possibility of sexual assault in women-only facilities like bathrooms, locker rooms or shelters.
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