Kansas DMV tells trans Kansans to get new driver’s licenses by March 25
Kansas is preparing to enforce a law that invalidates the driver’s license of anyone who has changed their gender marker on that document, echoing historic policies that targeted “other” groups by revoking their identification.
Operation Lifeboat recommends extreme caution regarding law-enforcement.
The state of Kansas is telling trans residents that it is ready to start enforcing a new law that invalidates licenses of residents who have changed their gender markers on state identification.
Trans people, and in some cases, suspected trans people in Kansas have begun to receive letters from the Kansas DMV. These letters tell them to get new driver’s licenses by tomorrow, March 25, the latest step in a rushed process that seems designed to inconvenience transgender Kansans.
The law invalidating licenses that did not reflect the holder’s gender assigned at birth took effect February 26. It attempts to define “biological sex” as either male or female using unscientific criteria.
A copy of the letter provided to Operation Lifeboat and reviewed by The Needle directs recipients to “surrender your current credential to the Kansas Division of Vehicles (DOV)”.
Disclaimer: Jane and Artemis are also involved with Operation Lifeboat in a public information capacity. See more on the partnership HERE.
Operation Lifeboat is an initiative by trans people and our cis allies to get trans people to safe havens, on our own terms. They help with the logistics, organization, and money. Trans people are in charge of the course of the operation and their own destinations and definition of safety.
The letter was dated March 20, meaning many recipients received it with minimal notice. While the law is already being challenged in court and some Kansans are appealing the revocations, the state is quickly invalidating licenses anyway.
The letter says recipients will “face penalties” if they are pulled over while driving with a license that has been invalidated and tells them to surrender their documents. It also warns the recipient that law enforcement will be informed that their previous documents are no longer valid pursuant to the ID revocation law, meaning that if they are pulled over after March 25, they could be charged with driving without a valid license.
“Furthermore, filing an appeal will not preserve the validity of your current credential and associated driving authority. If you have not yet made the change to your credential or you are not able to make the change by the end of the grace period on March 25, 2026, you may be subject to additional penalties for operating a vehicle on an invalid license. The state system will begin identifying these credentials as invalid to law enforcement at the conclusion of that grace period,” the letter says.
Operation Lifeboat is prepared to help those affected. The Operation’s current recommendations for someone affected that intends to comply with the demand is to reach out via the Operation Lifeboat website.
The Operation is prepared to help those who intend to go to the DMV and get new licenses. They can match them with volunteers to drive them, so that they aren’t caught by law enforcement driving with an invalidated ID.
Lifeboat also recommends that those who don’t intend to comply exercise extreme caution especially around law enforcement, and report any incidents with law enforcement to them as soon as they can.
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Anyone can learn how to get involved with- or receive help from- Operation Lifeboat by reading their website, which is frequently updated. It is available HERE.
Anyone can learn how to get involved with- or receive help from- Operation Lifeboat by reading their website, which is frequently updated. It is available HERE.
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