Kansas Enacts Law to Invalidate Transgender IDs

New law requires state to cancel 1,700 driver's licenses and issue new birth certificates for up to 1,800 people.

Published on Feb. 22, 2026

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Kansas has enacted a new law that will invalidate about 1,700 driver's licenses held by transgender residents and roughly as many birth certificates. The law prohibits documents from listing any sex other than the one assigned at birth and invalidates any that reflect a conflicting gender identity. Kansas officials expect to cancel the existing licenses and issue new birth certificates under the new law, which goes beyond restrictions in other states.

Why it matters

The new Kansas law is seen as the latest effort by Republican-led states to roll back transgender rights, going further than measures in other states by requiring the reversal of previous changes made to IDs. Transgender advocates say the law sends a message that trans people are not welcome in the state and opens them up to potential harassment and violence when showing misgendered IDs.

The details

The new Kansas law takes effect on Thursday and was passed by the Republican-controlled legislature over the veto of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. It prohibits documents from listing any sex other than the one assigned at birth and invalidates any that reflect a conflicting gender identity. Kansas officials expect to cancel about 1,700 driver's licenses and issue new birth certificates for up to 1,800 people under the law.

  • The new Kansas law takes effect on Thursday, February 23, 2026.
  • In 2023, Kansas enacted a measure that legally defined male and female by a person's 'biological reproductive system' at birth, halting changes to birth certificates and driver's licenses.
  • Last year, a lawsuit led to state court decisions that permitted driver's license changes to resume in Kansas.

The players

Laura Kelly

The Democratic governor of Kansas who vetoed the new law, but was overridden by the Republican-controlled legislature.

Chase Blasi

The Republican Kansas Senate Majority Leader who said the new law shows voters want to 'return to common sense' on gender.

Abi Boatman

A Democratic state representative in Kansas who is a transgender Air Force veteran, appointed in January to fill a vacant Wichita seat.

Anthony Alvarez

A transgender University of Kansas student who works for a pro-LGBTQ rights group and says the new law is making it harder for him to live in the state.

Zachary Denney

The spokesperson for the Kansas agency that issues driver's licenses, who said the state will notify transgender residents that their licenses are no longer valid.

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What they’re saying

“It tells me that Kansas Republicans are interested in being on the vanguard of the culture war and in a race to the bottom.”

— Abi Boatman, Democratic state representative (ksgf.com)

“When I go home, people believe there are just two sexes, male and female. It's basic biology I learned in high school.”

— Chase Blasi, Republican Kansas Senate Majority Leader (ksgf.com)

“They're just making it harder and harder for me to live in the state that I love.”

— Anthony Alvarez, Transgender University of Kansas student (ksgf.com)

What’s next

Kansas officials expect to begin the process of notifying transgender residents that their driver's licenses are no longer valid and they will need to go to a local licensing office to get a new one, at a cost of $26 per standard license.

The takeaway

The new Kansas law represents the latest effort by Republican-led states to roll back transgender rights, going further than measures in other states by requiring the reversal of previous changes made to IDs. Transgender advocates say the law sends a message that trans people are not welcome in the state and opens them up to potential harassment and violence when showing misgendered IDs.