Trans Kansans Aren’t Going Down Without a Fight

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On Thursday, February 26, news broke that hundreds of trans people in Kansas woke up to find their state identification cards, drivers’ licenses, and birth certificates had been invalidated as Senate Bill 244 went into effect.

The law — which was originally vetoed by Kansas Democratic Governor Laura Kelly before the Kansas State Legislature overthrew the veto — “prohibits transgender Kansans from changing the gender marker on their driver’s license and directs the Kansas Department of Revenue to invalidate licenses that have had a gender marker change. The law similarly applies to birth certificates.”

In addition to the impact on trans people’s identification in the state, the law also prohibits trans people from using their restroom of choice in government buildings, and it bans any gender-neutral bathrooms that have more than one stall for use.

As with many similar bills being drafted and passed through other state legislatures, the enforcement provisions on this one are equally enraging and totally absurd. They include “financial penalties for government entities, misdemeanor criminal charges against repeat offenders and creation of a civil cause of action for an individual to sue someone who used an opposite-sex bathroom.”

Moreover, one of the biggest issues with this law, as we’ve seen over and over again with other bills like it, is that the original draft of the language of the law is so vague and unclear that it is impossible to know exactly how the various parts of it (outside of the ID and birth certificate provisions) will be enforced. And as a result of the law going into effect, trans Kansans are not only left without the tools they need to move through the world with ease every day, but they are also left scrambling to figure out if they should stay in the state or not.

However, trans Kansans aren’t going out without a fight. The day after the law went into effect, two trans Kansans with the support of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas brought a lawsuit against the state. The plaintiffs are asking the court to strike down the law as unconstitutional and are asking for the court to formally block the enforcement of all the provisions listed in the law. The suit argues that the law directly violates Kansans’ “guarantees of personal autonomy, privacy, equality under the law, due process, and free expression” as listed in the Kansas state constitution.

At this point, there is no way to know whether the plaintiffs — and the rest of the trans people living in Kansas — will win this lawsuit, but we keep reporting on the developments as they happen.

And although I’m not a huge fan of corporations stepping in to provide anything less than aggressive material support in situations like this, I do feel like this will be helpful for some who might have missed the news. Lyft announced this weekend that they are offering half-price rides for trans people whose drivers’ licenses have been invalidated as a result of the law.

Some Good Trans News For Once

Federal judge temporarily blocks Plano ISD from enforcing parts of Texas law banning DEI. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Judges have really been showing up for LGBTQ+ youth. In Texas, Judge Charles Eskridge with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas in Houston officially prohibited the school districts of Houston, Katy, and Plano from implementing parts of a new Texas law aimed at eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in schools. The parts he specifically barred them from implementing were the ones that would’ve prevented students from forming and joining clubs focused on LGBTQ+ fellowship and issues.

Colorado bill to seal children’s name-change records moves forward after Polis veto threat. In an effort to protect the privacy of trans people in the state, lawmakers in Colorado have moved forward a bill that would make the records of trans youth who filed name change requests private for the rest of their lives.

Scouting America says transgender kids are still welcome after Pete Hegseth claimed they weren’t. After U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth claimed that Scouting America would no longer accept trans participants, Roger Krone, the organization’s CEO, immediately snapped back at Hegseth’s claims saying: “We have transgender people in our program, and we’ll have transgender people in our program going forward […] Scouting America will continue to welcome and serve all youth. That commitment is unwavering.” There is no word yet on what the Pentagon’s response to Krone’s defiance will be, but the organization will likely be fighting Hegseth on this in the weeks to come.

American Psychological Association reaffirms support for trans youth care, pushes back against NYT. After transphobic loser Jesse Singal published yet another erroneous piece about gender-affirming care in the failing New York Times, the American Psychological Association doubled-down on their support for trans youth access to gender-affirming care. In response to some of the comments Singal made, the APA said: “APA continues to support unobstructed access to evidence-based care for transgender and gender-diverse individuals of all ages.” They forgot to write “Go to hell, Jesse” in their statement, so I’ll say it for all of us: Go to hell, Jesse.

Democrats reintroduce Trans Bill of Rights as “a moral commitment” to trans people. This will likely go nowhere but it’s interesting — dare I say, somewhat refreshing?? — to see politicians who are unwilling to participate in the scapegoating of trans people in this country.

Trans News I Wish I Didn’t Have to Report

Two new shutdowns of gender-affirming care programs happened over the last couple of weeks. First, New York University Langone Health announced it will be ending its gender-affirming treatment program for trans youth. And second, Vanderbilt University Medical Center announced it would stop providing gender-affirming surgeries for trans adults. Of course, both decisions come in response to the Trump administration threatening to cut funding for medical centers that provide these life-saving treatments. How many more cowardly organizations are going to cower to this guy and his cronies?

Trump focuses on trans youth during State of the Union: “We must ban it immediately.” Surprising no one, Trump wasted no time diverting attention away from how much people despise him and his administration and the ongoing investigation involving the Epstein files by trying to put trans people — specifically, trans youth — in the forefront of his State of the Union. These people will stop at nothing to continue the violent scapegoating of trans people as their own transgressions come into clearer and clearer view. But what’s even more concerning is the fact that just hours after his address to the nation, Republicans introduced a “Don’t Say Trans Bill” that would make it illegal for public schools across the country to even acknowledge trans people exist.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sues New York retailer over marketing of chest binders to minors. I’m sorry, this is just fucking ridiculous but I had to include it here because I have a suspicion we’re going to see more actions like this from the far-right in the coming months.

Project 2025 creator wants to ban gender-affirming care for trans adults. Kevin Roberts, the president of bullshit “rights advocacy” group Heritage Foundation, sat down with PBD Podcast — yes, YouTube podcast show — to discuss the fact that he believes not even trans adults should have autonomy over their bodies. These people become farces of themselves more and more every single day.

Federal prisons bar gender-affirming care for trans people. I don’t care what anyone thinks about this, so I’ll say it plainly: Incarcerated people have a right to obtain treatments that will keep them alive. Gender-affirming care is one of those treatments, and this ban will most certainly lead to more violence (self-inflicted and otherwise) and death in U.S. prisons.

Fox News host says trans people should not be allowed to own guns. I have some bad news for everyone involved in this broadcast: Some of us already own them, and there’s very little you can actually do about that.

Half of U.S. trans teens live in a state that restricts their rights: study. I’m not sure this is exactly “bad news.” It’s just real. Most LGBTQ+ people live in the South and the Midwest, which means most LGBTQ+ people are subjected to anti-queer and anti-trans rhetoric and laws that directly impact their day-to-day lives where they live. As a queer, gender nonconforming person who lived in Florida for the first 37 years of my life, I know and understand that doesn’t mean your life is difficult or terrifying every minute of every day. But some people don’t have the same experiences as I did, and I feel that deserves recognition, empathy, and our continued dedication to fighting for each other no matter where we are.

Last Bits of Trans News

Florida Department of Health cuts millions of dollars in funds from HIV and AIDS drug program. Not exactly distinctly trans news, but since thousands and thousands of trans people depend on federal- and state-funded HIV/AIDS treatment programs, the news of this disgusting and horrifying move by the Florida DOH absolutely needs to be here.

Democrats should never again rise to Trump’s anti-trans bait. Considering that midterm elections are right around the corner, I think this op-ed is worth a read for those of you who are considering exercising your right to vote.

Trans comedian hailed ‘a true hero’ after saving baby from lake. Comedian Lio Cundiff saved a baby who fell into Lake Michigan. I think we can all agree when I say this…Let’s go, Lio!!!

Defiant St. Pete lights up the sky as Winter Pride Saint Pete shines 60 miles strong. Not specifically trans news, but as you all know, I love to see Florida cities sticking it to that cowardly loser Ron Desantis.

Congressional Republicans have introduced a nationwide book banning bill. Speaking of Florida, here’s a new development in the Federal government that would’ve been unthinkable before the Florida legislature tested it out for them. This also isn’t specifically trans news, but if you spend enough time digging in HR 7661 — ludicrously known as the “Stop Sexualization of Children Act” — you’ll quickly notice that the main target of its censorship is stories about trans people and their lives.