A new Kansas law that went into effect Thursday invalidates driver's licenses and birth certificates of transgender individuals, reported the Kansas City Star.
The move affects more than 1,000 people.
The legislation, Senate Bill 244, requires residents to change their gender identification to the sex they were assigned at birth and also bans residents from changing their gender on those documents in the future.
"Please note that the Legislature did not include a grace period for updating credentials," read letters mailed by the Kansas Department of Revenue's vehicles division dated Monday.
"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."
Kansas lawmakers overrode Gov. Laura Kelly's veto of the bill on Feb. 18, 2026, enacting a law that requires people in government buildings, including public schools and universities, to use restrooms and other multi-occupancy spaces that correspond to the sex they were assigned at birth .
It also directs state agencies to issue driver's licenses and birth certificates reflecting that biological sex.
The measure, branded by supporters as a privacy and safety protection, has drawn sharp criticism from civil liberties groups and transgender advocates as discriminatory and poorly drafted.
It went into effect Thursday after the secretary of state filed the paperwork, making it state law despite the governor's objections.
"Pursuant to the new law, if the gender/sex indication on the face of your current credential does not match your sex assigned at birth, you are directed to surrender your current credential to the Kansas Division of Vehicles," the letter stated.
The Star reviewed multiple copies.
"Upon surrendering the credential, you will be issued a new credential reflecting the gender identification consistent with statutory requirements," it continued.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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