Kansas refuses to amend transgender birth certificates under new law which requires reversal of altered records
transgender individuals to change their birth certificates to reflect their gender identities, citing a new state law that denies legal recognition of transgender identities. This decision places Kansas among the few states that refuse to amend transgender people's birth certificates, and it reaffirms the state's existing policy of not altering the gender marker on transgender individuals' driver's licenses.
Reversal of Policies
This decision marks a reversal of policies that were established during Democratic Governor Laura Kelly's administration when she assumed office in 2019. The change comes in response to legal action by Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, a conservative Republican, who sought to enforce the new state law. This law, which was enacted by the GOP-controlled Legislature and took effect on July 1, defines an individual's gender as the sex assigned at birth.
Impact on Transgender Residents
Transgender residents of Kansas have expressed deep disappointment in these policy changes. Jaelynn Abegg, a 38-year-old resident of Wichita, shared her heartfelt concern tp the Associated Press, for fellow transgender Kansans who will no longer experience the sense of completeness she felt when she received her new birth certificate affirming her female identity in 2021. For her, this change was life-changing and allowed her to embrace her true self.
Transgender residents have also voiced practical concerns, explaining that ID documents that conflict with their identities complicate various aspects of their lives, including air travel, interactions with law enforcement, and everyday financial transactions. Additionally, studies have shown that transgender individuals without affirmed identities, especially youth,
