{"id":1836606,"date":"2026-03-20T11:28:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T08:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1836606"},"modified":"2026-03-20T11:28:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T08:28:00","slug":"we-need-to-talk-about-whats-happening-to-trans-drivers-in-kansas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1836606","title":{"rendered":"We need to talk about what\u2019s happening to trans drivers in Kansas"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1012\/49-0-1012-675\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442062.jpeg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"main-article standard \">\n<div class=\"article-main-content article-wrapper has-media-but-its-an-image\" data-status=\"loaded\" data-primary-article=\"true\" data-url=\"\/life-culture\/article\/69943\/1\/trans-drivers-kansas-1700-licenses-invalidated-us-america-trump\" data-article-id=\"69943\">\n<header class=\"article-header has-landscape-image no-media\">\n<div class=\"wrapper dg-max-width\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<figure class=\"main-img has-figcaption\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.78\" data-template=\"Standard Article\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"One Battle After Another\" class=\"img\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442062.jpeg\" width=\"1200\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"inner\"><span class=\"credit\">One Battle After <span class=\"nowrap\">Another (2025)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"inner\"><time datetime=\"2026-03-20T11:28:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"20 March 2026\"><span class=\"month\">March<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"20\">20,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"titles\">\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - life-culture\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\">Life &amp; Culture<\/a><br \/>\n\/<br \/>\n<a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"standard-tag-container\"><a class=\"standard-category\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\">Life &amp; Culture<\/a> \/<br \/>\n<a class=\"standard-series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\"><span>We need to talk about what\u2019s happening to trans drivers <span class=\"nowrap\">in Kansas<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"standfirst\">\n<h2>\u2018I\u2019m not giving up my rights\u2019: Last month, around 1,700 trans people in Kansas had their licenses invalidated, setting a dangerous precedent for trans rights across <span class=\"nowrap\">the US<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-03-20T11:28:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"20 March 2026\"><span class=\"month\">March<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"20\">20,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-03-20T11:28:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"20 March 2026\"><span class=\"month\">March<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"20\">20,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<div class=\"providers\">\n<div class=\"contributors\"><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Text\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Text<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/laurapitcher\">Laura Pitcher<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Last month, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/kansas-revoked-drivers-licenses-1700-transgender-residents-rcna262120\"><span>around 1,700 trans people in Kansas<\/span><\/a><span> had their driver\u2019s licenses invalidated under a new law requiring identification to reflect a person\u2019s \u201csex at birth\u201d. <\/span>Avery Rowland, a candidate for Kansas House District 2, was among those who received a letter stating that her license had been invalidated overnight. <span>\u201cIt was chaos,\u201d she tells Dazed. \u201cI found the letter after 5pm when I got home from work, so I had to take care of it the next morning because I drive 25 miles each day.\u201d But that sense of chaos, Rowland says, has only grown since she was forced to change her gender marker. \u201cEveryone is super confused, transgender folks are super scared, and the bill was pushed through by Republicans as fast as possible, with no infrastructure,\u201d she adds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The confusion Rowland describes is partly due to the fact that not every trans person in Kansas has received a letter. While you can check whether your licence is still valid on the Department of Revenue\u2019s website, Rowland says those results don\u2019t always match what people are told at the licence bureau. There is also widespread uncertainty about how the law will actually be enforced. Kansas is one of five states to prohibit trans people from changing the gender marker on their licences, as part of a broader crackdown on trans rights under the Trump administration. It is, however, the first to retroactively invalidate licences \u2013 and even birth certificates \u2013 that had already been updated. So, what does this mean for trans people in Kansas and across the country?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-tiktok\" data-id=\"7611554125498584334\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>When I speak to Rowland in early March, she is waiting for her new license to arrive in the mail. For now, she\u2019s carrying around a temporary paper copy. \u201cMy license says male, and I very much don\u2019t look male, so that\u2019s going to cause confusion when interacting with law enforcement or even going out to a bar,\u201d she says. \u201cIt forces transgender people to out themselves, and it all just feels very performative from Republicans.\u201d The bill, known as SB 244, also bans trans people from using the bathroom that matches their gender identity. By making it possible for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/feb\/26\/kansas-trans-drivers-license-law-assault-on-rights\"><span>Kansas citizens to sue the trans people they see in restrooms for $1,000<\/span><\/a><span>, it sets a dangerous precedent for transvestigating people who are simply going about their day, and potentially being financially rewarded for it. \u201cEverybody is watching Kansas and how the citizens react to this, because if they prove that they can do it with transgender Kansans, they can do it to transgender folk anywhere,\u201d says Rowland.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Matthew Neumann, founder and executive director of the LGBTQ Foundation of Kansas, says the bill has already emboldened people to be more openly transphobic. <\/span><span>\u201cThe transphobia going on here is crazy,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd the amount of fear in the community has really risen.\u201d The foundation is now offering relocation services for those who want to leave, as well as support for those choosing to stay. For some, that means arming themselves with firearms. It\u2019s a battle that trans activists like Neumann have been fighting long before the bill passed. \u201cI\u2019ve been following and fighting this law for years, from the beginning, just hoping that it wouldn\u2019t pass,\u201d he says. \u201cBut it\u2019s all just escalated.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Trans people in Kansas, like trans people everywhere, are not a monolith. While some, like Rowland, have already changed their licences, others are refusing to. Neumann falls into the latter camp. \u201cI\u2019m not surrendering my driver\u2019s license because I\u2019m not giving up my rights,\u201d he says. It\u2019s advice he is also giving to other trans people in Kansas, although he will still help those who feel they need to update their documents. \u201cIt\u2019s a matter of civil rights, and we spent time fighting for these rights to be established in the first place \u2013 so we\u2019re prepared to fight this at the foundation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cEverybody is watching Kansas and how the citizens react to this, because if they prove that they can do it with transgender Kansans, they can do it to transgender folk anywhere\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Those preparing to challenge the bill are in it for the long haul. Neumann says he\u2019s already experiencing fear around everyday activities like driving or using the restroom, but adds that there is \u201calways fear\u201d when fighting for civil rights. \u201cThe biggest deal on the ground is not the fear of changing your license or not, it\u2019s that this bill is putting a target on us and the bigots are only getting braver,\u201d he says. For Shea LaRoux, it\u2019s enough to start plotting an escape. \u201cIf things get even worse, I\u2019m probably going to move,\u201d she says. \u201cBut we own a house here, and my husband probably won\u2019t come with me, so I\u2019ll have to flee to a blue state.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>LaRoux, who was born in Colorado, has yet to receive a letter about her licence, but she\u2019s anxiously waiting for the day it might arrive. She even has a plan for what she\u2019d do: ignore it for as long as she can, and continue driving back to Colorado to renew her license there. She calls herself one of the \u201clucky ones\u201d to still have a birth certificate from a state that recognises her identity. But the driving itself is still scary. \u201cYou can\u2019t feel comfortable getting in your car anymore for fear of being profiled or pulled over,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd, where I live, you also just can\u2019t get around without a car.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Like hundreds of other trans people in Kansas, LaRoux is closely following a bill that is already reshaping her daily life. Last month, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/kansas-state-court-denies-temporary-restraining-order-against-state-law-invalidating-ids-and-restricting-bathroom-access-for-transgender-people\"><span>two anonymous trans Kansans sued the state<\/span><\/a><span>, arguing that the law violates protections for personal autonomy, privacy, equality, due process and freedom of speech. If approved, a restraining order would have paused the law\u2019s enforcement. But after our call, LaRoux texted with a discouraging update. On March 10, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/kansas-revoked-drivers-licenses-1700-transgender-residents-rcna262120\"><span>Douglas County District Judge James McCabria declined to grant the order while the case proceeds<\/span><\/a><span>. \u201cIt certainly makes me a lot more fearful of driving,\u201d LaRoux says.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! 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Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Last month, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/kansas-revoked-drivers-licenses-1700-transgender-residents-rcna262120\"><span>around 1,700 trans people in Kansas<\/span><\/a><span> had their driver\u2019s licenses invalidated under a new law requiring identification to reflect a person\u2019s \u201csex at birth\u201d. <\/span>Avery Rowland, a candidate for Kansas House District 2, was among those who received a letter stating that her license had been invalidated overnight. <span>\u201cIt was chaos,\u201d she tells Dazed. \u201cI found the letter after 5pm when I got home from work, so I had to take care of it the next morning because I drive 25 miles each day.\u201d But that sense of chaos, Rowland says, has only grown since she was forced to change her gender marker. \u201cEveryone is super confused, transgender folks are super scared, and the bill was pushed through by Republicans as fast as possible, with no infrastructure,\u201d she adds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The confusion Rowland describes is partly due to the fact that not every trans person in Kansas has received a letter. While you can check whether your licence is still valid on the Department of Revenue\u2019s website, Rowland says those results don\u2019t always match what people are told at the licence bureau. There is also widespread uncertainty about how the law will actually be enforced. Kansas is one of five states to prohibit trans people from changing the gender marker on their licences, as part of a broader crackdown on trans rights under the Trump administration. It is, however, the first to retroactively invalidate licences \u2013 and even birth certificates \u2013 that had already been updated. So, what does this mean for trans people in Kansas and across the country?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-tiktok\" data-id=\"7611554125498584334\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>When I speak to Rowland in early March, she is waiting for her new license to arrive in the mail. For now, she\u2019s carrying around a temporary paper copy. \u201cMy license says male, and I very much don\u2019t look male, so that\u2019s going to cause confusion when interacting with law enforcement or even going out to a bar,\u201d she says. \u201cIt forces transgender people to out themselves, and it all just feels very performative from Republicans.\u201d The bill, known as SB 244, also bans trans people from using the bathroom that matches their gender identity. By making it possible for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/feb\/26\/kansas-trans-drivers-license-law-assault-on-rights\"><span>Kansas citizens to sue the trans people they see in restrooms for $1,000<\/span><\/a><span>, it sets a dangerous precedent for transvestigating people who are simply going about their day, and potentially being financially rewarded for it. \u201cEverybody is watching Kansas and how the citizens react to this, because if they prove that they can do it with transgender Kansans, they can do it to transgender folk anywhere,\u201d says Rowland.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Matthew Neumann, founder and executive director of the LGBTQ Foundation of Kansas, says the bill has already emboldened people to be more openly transphobic. <\/span><span>\u201cThe transphobia going on here is crazy,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd the amount of fear in the community has really risen.\u201d The foundation is now offering relocation services for those who want to leave, as well as support for those choosing to stay. For some, that means arming themselves with firearms. It\u2019s a battle that trans activists like Neumann have been fighting long before the bill passed. \u201cI\u2019ve been following and fighting this law for years, from the beginning, just hoping that it wouldn\u2019t pass,\u201d he says. \u201cBut it\u2019s all just escalated.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Trans people in Kansas, like trans people everywhere, are not a monolith. While some, like Rowland, have already changed their licences, others are refusing to. Neumann falls into the latter camp. \u201cI\u2019m not surrendering my driver\u2019s license because I\u2019m not giving up my rights,\u201d he says. It\u2019s advice he is also giving to other trans people in Kansas, although he will still help those who feel they need to update their documents. \u201cIt\u2019s a matter of civil rights, and we spent time fighting for these rights to be established in the first place \u2013 so we\u2019re prepared to fight this at the foundation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cEverybody is watching Kansas and how the citizens react to this, because if they prove that they can do it with transgender Kansans, they can do it to transgender folk anywhere\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Those preparing to challenge the bill are in it for the long haul. Neumann says he\u2019s already experiencing fear around everyday activities like driving or using the restroom, but adds that there is \u201calways fear\u201d when fighting for civil rights. \u201cThe biggest deal on the ground is not the fear of changing your license or not, it\u2019s that this bill is putting a target on us and the bigots are only getting braver,\u201d he says. For Shea LaRoux, it\u2019s enough to start plotting an escape. \u201cIf things get even worse, I\u2019m probably going to move,\u201d she says. \u201cBut we own a house here, and my husband probably won\u2019t come with me, so I\u2019ll have to flee to a blue state.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>LaRoux, who was born in Colorado, has yet to receive a letter about her licence, but she\u2019s anxiously waiting for the day it might arrive. She even has a plan for what she\u2019d do: ignore it for as long as she can, and continue driving back to Colorado to renew her license there. She calls herself one of the \u201clucky ones\u201d to still have a birth certificate from a state that recognises her identity. But the driving itself is still scary. \u201cYou can\u2019t feel comfortable getting in your car anymore for fear of being profiled or pulled over,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd, where I live, you also just can\u2019t get around without a car.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Like hundreds of other trans people in Kansas, LaRoux is closely following a bill that is already reshaping her daily life. Last month, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/kansas-state-court-denies-temporary-restraining-order-against-state-law-invalidating-ids-and-restricting-bathroom-access-for-transgender-people\"><span>two anonymous trans Kansans sued the state<\/span><\/a><span>, arguing that the law violates protections for personal autonomy, privacy, equality, due process and freedom of speech. If approved, a restraining order would have paused the law\u2019s enforcement. But after our call, LaRoux texted with a discouraging update. On March 10, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/kansas-revoked-drivers-licenses-1700-transgender-residents-rcna262120\"><span>Douglas County District Judge James McCabria declined to grant the order while the case proceeds<\/span><\/a><span>. \u201cIt certainly makes me a lot more fearful of driving,\u201d LaRoux says.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/69943\/1\/trans-drivers-kansas-1700-licenses-invalidated-us-america-trump&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1012\/49-0-1012-675\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442062.jpeg&#8221;] One Battle After Another (2025) March\u00a0 20,\u00a0 2026 Life &amp; Culture \/ Feature Life &amp; Culture \/ Feature We need to talk about what\u2019s happening to trans drivers in Kansas \u2018I\u2019m not giving up my rights\u2019: Last month, around 1,700 trans people in Kansas had their licenses invalidated, setting a dangerous precedent [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,76],"class_list":["post-1836606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dazeddigital-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1836606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1836606"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1836606\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1836606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1836606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1836606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}