A Kansas judge says barring driver’s license changes doesn’t violate trans people’s rights

By JOHN HANNA
Associated Press

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas judge has ruled that the state isn’t violating transgender residents’ rights under the state constitution by refusing to change their driver’s licenses to reflect their gender identities. State District Judge Teresa Watson on Monday kept in place indefinitely an order she first issued in July 2023 to prevent the state from changing the listing for “sex” on transgender people’s licenses. Attorney General Kris Kobach sued Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s administration to prevent it from making such changes after a 2023 law ended the legal recognition of transgender identities. Watson rejected arguments from transgender Kansans that such a policy violates a constitutionally protected right to bodily autonomy.