Kansas has invalidated approximately 1,700 driver’s licenses following a new state law that prohibits changes to gender markers inconsistent with a person’s sex at birth.
The Kansas Department of Revenue confirmed the legislation rendered licenses previously updated to reflect a different gender marker invalid.
State officials have begun notifying affected residents that their licenses are “invalid immediately” and require a replacement reflecting their birth sex to remain legal for driving.
Kansas is one of several states that restrict changes to gender markers on identification documents. The law, which took effect in late February after being published in the state register, retroactively applies to licenses that were altered prior to its implementation.
Kansas lawmakers approved the legislation after the Republican-led legislature overrode a veto by Democratic Governor Laura Kelly.
Governor Kelly had argued that the measure interfered with personal decisions and urged legislators to focus on economic issues.
Supporters of the law stated it aligns state identification documents with Kansas’ legal definition of sex as male or female at birth.
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach previously contended that allowing gender marker changes conflicts with a 2023 state law defining sex based on birth records.
The policy has led to legal challenges. Two Kansas residents filed a lawsuit alleging the rule 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 permitted gender marker updates on driver’s licenses beginning in 2007.
Letters sent by the state have instructed some affected residents to surrender their current licenses and obtain new documents reflecting their birth sex.
The Kansas Department of Revenue stated that the policy took effect immediately upon publication in the state register in late February.
By Jim Mishler | March 11, 2026
