Kansas has invalidated about 1,700 driver's licenses after a new state law barred changes to gender markers that differ from a person's sex at birth.
The Kansas Department of Revenue confirmed the law voided licenses that had previously been updated to reflect a different gender marker.
NBC News reported that state administrators have begun notifying affected residents that their licenses are "invalid immediately" and that they must obtain a replacement reflecting their birth sex to continue driving legally.
Kansas is one of several states that restrict changes to gender markers on identification documents. The law passed this year also retroactively applies to licenses that had been previously changed.
Kansas lawmakers approved the legislation after the Republican-led Legislature overrode a veto by Democrat Gov. Laura Kelly.
Kelly had argued the measure interfered with personal decisions and urged lawmakers to focus on economic issues.
Supporters of the law said the change was intended to align state identification documents with Kansas' legal definition of sex as male or female at birth.
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach had previously argued that allowing gender marker changes conflicted with a 2023 state law defining sex based on birth records.
The issue has also led to legal challenges.
Two Kansas residents filed a lawsuit arguing the policy violates constitutional protections including privacy, equality, and due process.
Douglas County District Judge James McCabria declined to issue a temporary restraining order blocking the law while the case proceeds.
Kansas previously allowed gender marker updates on driver's licenses beginning in 2007.
Letters have been sent by the state to some affected residents instructing them to surrender their licenses and obtain new documents.
The Kansas Department of Revenue said the policy took effect immediately after the law was published in the state register in late February.
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