Four times as many Kansans changed their gender on birth certificates and driver’s licenses this year ahead of a new state law that prevents residents from identifying themselves differently than the sex assigned them at birth. The legislation is part of several measures lawmakers across the U. S. have passed to roll back transgender rights. It has provisions meant to restrict transgender people’s use of restrooms, locker rooms and other facilities and applies to a person’s identity listed on state documents. The Kansas law takes effect tomorrow, July 1, but it’s not yet clear how it will play out in the daily lives of transgender people. The new legislation conflicts with a 2019 Federal Court Order directing the state to allow transgender people to change their birth certificates.
An average of 58 Kansas residents a month have changed their birth certificates so far this year, compared to an average of 13 from July 2019 through 2022, according to State Health Department figures released this week. The state Motor Vehicle Department reported this week that 161 people have changed their gender identity on their driver’s licenses so far this year, an average of 27 a month. That’s compared to an average of 5 1/2 per month from July 2019 through 2022.
