Kansas revokes transgender IDs, faces lawsuit

Two transgender men (biological women) in Kansas have filed a lawsuit against a new state law that invalidated the driver's licenses and birth certificates of more than a thousand people who had changed their gender.

The lawsuit was filed in state court by the American Civil Liberties Union, claiming that the law violates the rights to equality, due process, and privacy under the Kansasi Constitution.

The law, which took effect on Thursday, requires residents to change the gender designation on their documents to the sex assigned at birth and prohibits future changes. It also prohibits transgender people from using multipurpose restrooms in government buildings that do not correspond to their biological sex and allows private individuals to file lawsuits for violations of the law.

The plaintiffs are acting under pseudonyms and argue that the law forces them to reveal their transgender status every time they present their ID, exposing them to the risk of harassment and violence. They are therefore seeking a temporary suspension of the law.

Kansas has thus become the only US state to retroactively repeal already approved changes to gender data in documents. The law was passed after the Republican-controlled parliament overruled the veto of Democratic Governor Laura Kelly. Similar restrictions have been adopted by other states, several of which are facing legal challenges.

(reuters, max)