New law in Kansas nullifies licenses and birth certificates of transgender residents

+ Accessibility links Skip to main content Keyboard shortcuts for audio player Open Navigation Menu --> Newsletters NPR Shop Close Navigation Menu Home News Expand/collapse submenu for News National World Politics Business Health Science Climate Race Culture Expand/collapse submenu for Culture Books Movies Television Pop Culture Food Art & Design Performing Arts Life Kit Gaming Music Expand/collapse submenu for Music The Best Music of 2025 All Songs Considered Tiny Desk Music Features Live Sessions Podcasts & Shows Expand/collapse submenu for Podcasts & Shows Daily Morning Edition Weekend Edition Saturday Weekend Edition Sunday All Things Considered Up First Here & Now NPR Politics Podcast Featured Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Planet Money Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop The Best Music of 2025 All Songs Considered Tiny Desk Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics New law in Kansas nullifies licenses and birth certificates of transgender residents Transgender Kansans are considering what to do now that their driver's licenses and birth certificates have been invalidated because of a new law. National New law in Kansas nullifies licenses and birth certificates of transgender residents March 6, 20264:39 AM ET Heard on Morning Edition From By Zane Irwin New law in Kansas nullifies licenses and birth certificates of transgender residents Listen &middot; 3:18 3:18 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5732806/nx-s1-9676833" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript Transgender Kansans are considering what to do now that their driver's licenses and birth certificates have been invalidated because of a new law. Sponsor Message MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: A law in Kansas has invalidated the driver's licenses of hundreds of transgender people. The law took effect last week aimed at people who have changed their gender designation on official IDs. The law is being challenged in a court hearing today. Zane Irwin of the Kansas News Service and KCUR reports the sudden change caught many by surprise.

+ ZANE IRWIN, BYLINE: Hazel Krebs woke up to news last week that her driver's license had become invalid overnight. HAZEL KREBS: And my thought was, initially, oh, my gosh, can I drive? Do I have to wait for the letter? Do I have to, you know, make an appointment? IRWIN: Krebs is an author and small business owner in Westwood near Kansas City. She's also transgender, but the letter F for female on her driver's license could soon be M for male. KREBS: When you look at me, I'm very feminine, have pink hair, wear makeup, dresses, and then I have this letter that doesn't match it - is only going to bring questions. It's only going to bring doubt. IRWIN: An unknown number of Kansans had their driver's licenses, birth certificates or both invalidated by a new law. A few other states have passed similar laws, but advocates for trans people say Kansas is unique because it invalidated current licenses. Republican state Representative Susan Humphries helped pass the bill through the legislature in a fast-tracked process. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) SUSAN HUMPHRIES: A person's biological sex when they're born is what it is. It can't be changed, and our documents - our government documents should show accuracy. IRWIN: In an interview at the Capitol, Humphries said there was a week between when the Republican supermajority overrode a veto by the Democratic governor and when the law took effect on February 26. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) HUMPHRIES: So there was time in there for people to be thinking about that. So it wasn't really overnight. IRWIN: But the state said it immediately sent some 300 letters to Kansas residents. Based on state figures for birth certificates that have been amended, over a thousand more could be impacted. On its website, the Department of Revenue says all state credentials that don't reflect sex assigned at birth were invalid immediately. It says you can't drive or buy age-restricted items with an old ID. For Harper Seldin, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, all of that amounts to a violation of due process. HARPER SELDIN: Specifically, because it overnight turns valid IDs into invalid IDs and doesn't give people an opportunity to come into compliance before incurring potential penalties. IRWIN: Seldin and the ACLU are representing two transgender Kansans who are suing to challenge the law. They say transgender people could be outed just using their ID to pick up a prescription. SELDIN: It also takes away the people's right to determine who knows that they're trans and outs them whenever they interact with law enforcement or apply for a job or apply for housing. IRWIN: Their suit also challenges another part of the law that restricts what bathrooms people can use in government buildings and lets private citizens sue others accused of using the wrong facilities. Hazel Krebs says several rounds of legislation and lawsuits have created a logistical and emotional whipsaw. KREBS: The guidance for this moment might be accurate for this moment, but it might change tomorrow. So, for me, I'm waiting to see what happens with the courts. IRWIN: Krebs says she would rather avoid driving as long as she can than have to look at an ID that does not reflect her identity. For NPR News, I'm Zane Irwin in Westwood, Kansas. Copyright &copy; 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. Facebook Flipboard Email Read & Listen Home News Culture Music Podcasts & Shows Connect Newsletters Facebook Instagram Press Public Editor Corrections Transcripts Contact & Help About NPR Overview Diversity NPR Network Accessibility Ethics Finances Get Involved Support Public Radio Sponsor NPR NPR Careers NPR Shop NPR Extra Terms of Use Privacy Your Privacy Choices Text Only Sponsor Message Sponsor MessageBecome an NPR sponsor (function () { var loadPageJs = function () { (window.webpackJsonp=window.webpackJsonp||[]).push([[22],{1167:function(e,n,c){e.exports=c(323)},323:function(e,n,c){"use strict";c.p=NPR.serverVars.webpackPublicPath,Promise.all([c.e(1),c.e(2),c.e(3),c.e(4),c.e(84)]).then(function(e){c(3),c(1140),c(116),c(94),c(52),c(493),c(239),c(102),c(104),c(1141),c(143),c(1142),c(238),c(48),c(1143)}.bind(null,c)).catch(c.oe)}},[[1167,0]]]); }; if (document.readyState === 'complete') { loadPageJs(); } else { window.addEventListener('load', function load() { window.removeEventListener('load', load, false); loadPageJs(); }); } })();