Kansas
Driver's license gender needs to match sex assigned at birth, Kansas AG Kris Kobach argues in court – Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA — Civil rights advocates argued in court this week that drivers’ licenses should not lead to “forced outing,” leaving a district judge to decide how a divisive law will impact the day-to-day lives of transgender Kansans.
Republican Attorney General Kris Kobach asked Shawnee County District Judge Theresa Watson to grant a temporary injunction blocking Kansas residents from changing the gender listed on their drivers’ licenses while courts decide the implications of an anti-transgender law passed last year.
“This case is really about the question of whether an agency follows the clear command of Kansas law or does not,” Kobach said in an interview after Thursday’s hearing. “… And they’re using this case as an opportunity to try to invent these new rights. That’s what’s going on in legal speak.”
Watson heard arguments Wednesday and Thursday regarding the implementation of Senate Bill 180, which took effect in July. The legislation conflates sex, which has to do with biological characteristics, with gender, which is a personal and social identity. Under the law, women are defined by their reproductive ability, and state agencies that collect vital statistics are directed to identify individuals “as either male or female at birth.”
The hearings, which coincided with the opening of the legislative session, mark the latest turn in an ongoing legal battle over transgender rights.
During the hearings, Sharon Brett, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, and Kansas Department of Revenue general counsel Ted Smith emphasized the idea of driver’s licenses as a form of self expression, rather than a vital statistic.
“In a big sense, it’s an expression of someone’s identity,” Smith said in court.
They made an appeal to perspective and empathy, focusing on the danger of outing transgender residents by having a gender marker that does not match their identity, as well as the negative mental health consequences suffered by removing this source of affirmation.
As the hearing wrapped up, Watson said her opinion could be delayed because of factors such as ongoing court construction — the sounds of which could be heard periodically as people testified — but she assured the parties she “would be working quite a bit on this in the future.”
The legal fight
The GOP-dominated Legislature adopted SB 180 last year by overriding Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto.
The model legislation comes from Independent Women’s Voices, a far-right group that has a long history of opposing women’s rights, including the Equal Rights Amendment and equal pay. The law’s sex-based definition of women, and classification of those who don’t qualify as men or women as disabled, is considered offensive and not based on science.
Kobach, in his capacity as the top legal officer in the state, filed a lawsuit against the Kansas Department of Revenue’s Division of Vehicles in early July, seeking to ban transgender people from changing gender markers on their driver’s licenses.
In response, the district court issued a temporary restraining order blocking Kelly’s administration from making gender marker changes on identity cards and driver’s licenses.
The court granted the ACLU of Kansas permission to intervene in the lawsuit on behalf of five transgender Kansans who would be harmed by the gender marker ban.
For now, the extended restraining order does not invalidate current driver’s licenses. However, new, replaced or renewed credentials will be reverted to sex assigned at birth.
When asked about gender markers Thursday, the governor said: “I’m going to let the courts sort that out.”
Impact of the law
Rooks County physician Beth Oller, who has treated an estimated 100 transgender patients, spoke to the judge about the “great harm” suffered by those who are blocked from gender affirmation, such as increased anxiety, depression and social isolation.
A physician’s letter is required to change license markers in the state. Oller has written an estimated 40 letters recommending gender marker changes and described the “profound sense of relief” she witnessed when they had the markers changed.
Transgender residents also took the stand Thursday to testify on their personal experiences, though portions of the meeting were closed to the public to protect several of the intervenors’ anonymity. One of the interveners in the case, a transgender woman living in Lawrence, teared up while speaking of incidents before she got her license marker changed.
She mentioned a cashier at a gas station who told her to leave after he looked at her driver’s license and saw the “M,” as well as the “abject hate” in one man’s eyes when she was showing her card to make a purchase.
She then described the feeling of safety she received from having her marker changed. If the ban on gender markers is permanent, she said, staying in the state would no longer be a viable option.
“I would feel like I’m being kicked out of the state over something I have no control over,” she said.
KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne reports on stories in Overland Park, Johnson County and topics about government accountability. Share your story idea with Isabella.
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Saturday marks the final FIFA World Cup 26 match in Kansas City with Argentina set to meet Switzerland on the pitch at Kansas City Stadium.
Kansas City to reduce bus transit frequency, extended hours after World Cup
Public transportation received a big boost during the World Cup.
Johnson County launched JOCO United, and according to leaders, the airport drop and ride service that was implemented for the tournament will stick around.
“It has been very smooth every time,” Johnson County resident Mariah Wickham said. “I’ve been up and down so many times.”
Kansas City, Missouri, also bumped up its transit options, but not all of the those will be sticking around once the final whistle blows.
Tens of thousands of people have been using the airport link, streetcar and the buses to get around Kansas City. The city poured millions of dollars into building up its public transit infrastructure. The KCATA added more frequency to bus transit lines and the streetcar, pushing more fans to use public transportation during the tournament.
Brian Luton
“With the World Cup here, I was able to exercise using the streetcar more frequently and that was really fun,” Trish Luancing said. “It wold be nice to not have to drive everywhere and not have to worry about parking.”
But thousands have been relying on public transit for years, regardless of what event was in town.
“It’s been busier since the World Cup,” Jeffrice Jackson, a bus rider, said. “It’s been smooth sailing.”
The KCATA added streetcar ‘bus bridge’ links, extended bus service hours and increased frequency on East-West routes to link riders to the streetcar. It’s benefited both travelers and commuters.
Brian Luton
“[Service] has been more consistent with the World Cup than it was previously,” Jerry Breault, a rider said. “We were missing buses or routes because there weren’t enough drivers to drive that route.”
But the add-on’s stop on Sunday, July 12. If the transit authority can’t find more money, more than a dozen routes will be cut, potentially impacting more than 8,000 riders.
“It’s a little frustrating,” Breault said. “A lot of us rely on it just to get back and forth to work, to take care of our daily needs. It looks like we may be having to find alternatives and we’re not very happy about that.”
The KCATA will potentially suspend these weekday and weekend routes by September:
Weekday Route Eliminations:
- 9 – 9th Street, 365 average weekday ridership
- 21 – Cleveland Antioch, 512 average weekday ridership
- 23 – 23rd Street, 266 average weekday ridership
- 25 – Troost Local, 1,460 average weekday ridership
- 27 – 27th Street, 422 average weekday ridership
- 57 – Wornall, 411 average weekday ridership
- 71 – Prospect Local, 464 average weekday ridership
Weekend Route Eliminations:
- 9 – 9th Street, 349 average weekend ridership
- 21 – Cleveland Antioch, 312 average weekend ridership
- 23 – 23rd Street, 312 average weekend ridership
- 25 – Troost Local, 1,431 average weekend ridership
- 27 – 27th Street, 455 average weekend ridership
- 57 – Wornall, 595 average weekend ridership
- 71 – Prospect Local, 982 average weekend ridership
Bus fares came back earlier this summer to offset some of the operation costs, but many have reported issues with the free fare cards and eligibility.
“There’s always funding challenges with the KCATA,” Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas said. “How are the fare re-institutions working right now?”
Brian Luton
Mayor Lucas told KSHB 41 News Reporter Isabella Ledonne the transit improvements implemented for the World Cup “should continue,” and there are plans to talk with the KCATA commissioners to “make it work”.
“KCATA cannot just be Kansas City supported alone forever,” Mayor Lucas said. “Our approach and our preference is that the region got to see how much they would like [expanded service] during the World Cup. It was always intentional that if they liked it, maybe they would invest and maybe they would want this thing to go further.”
That’s good news to the thousands of daily riders.
Brian Luton
“I think it’s good because it helps people get around if they need to get around,” Jackson said.
The KCATA did not make themselves available for an interview.
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One of the top prospects in the 2027 boys’ high school basketball recruiting class recently trimmed his list of suitors, and the Kansas Jayhawks find themselves firmly in the mix.
KU is one of eight schools to make the cut for 2027 five-star small forward Demarcus Henry, according to On3 National Basketball Reporter Joe Tipton. His list of eight includes some of the best programs in the country: Kansas, Ohio State, Kentucky, North Carolina, BYU, Arkansas, UConn, and Louisville.
The 6-foot-7 Charlotte, North Carolina, native is one of the best players in the 2027 class. He’s currently ranked as the No. 5 player overall and the No. 1 player at his position, according to the most recent On3.com 2027 player rankings.
As a junior this past year at Compass Prep High School in Chandler, Arizona, Henry averaged 15.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game as he helped lead his team to a 25-3 record.
He followed that up with an impressive performance at the NBPA Top 100 camp this summer, leading all attendees in scoring (20.0 points per game) and rebounding (9.3 rebounds per game). He was also a member of the 2026 USA Men’s U18 National Team that earned a silver medal at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup earlier this summer in León, Mexico.
When speaking about his game, Henry mentions his versatility and how he’s developed over the past year.
“I’m just very versatile,” Henry told Rivals in a previous interview. “I can play one through four and just help my teammates and hit shots and play defense. I watch a lot of KD (Kevin Durant) and Paul George. How they score it, and how they could shoot off the dribble, shoot off the catch. I’ve gotten tougher and just more aggressive when I transferred AZ Compass and just being able to get downhill, I feel like that’s really developed for me.”
When asked about what he’s looking for in a potential home at the college level, Henry says he wants to be challenged and grow his game for the NBA.
“What I’m looking for in school is someone that just pushes me to be better,” Henry said. “Help me grow into the person I know I can be and someone who will help me reach my potential. I want to play for a coach that will hold me accountable and help me make me uncomfortable and keep growing and keep getting better and just help me reach the NBA, which is my ultimate goal.”
Early Contenders
Right now the early favorite to land Henry may be the basketball program with the least amount of notoriety of the final eight schools – and that is Ohio State.
Henry has a lot of familial ties to the university as his older brother Chris Henry Jr. is a five-star incoming freshman wide receiver for the Buckeyes football team this year, and his older sister Seini Henry is a talented women’s basketball player at Ohio State.
He’s already taken an unofficial visit to the school and has also taken an unofficial visit to BYU. Thus far, they are the only schools to have received a visit.
Follow
The Royals have been linked to shortstop Jacob Lombard out of Gulliver Prep (Fla.) — if he makes it that far — left-hander Gio Rojas out of Stoneman Douglas (Fla.) HS, outfielder Eric Booth Jr. out of Oak Grove (Fla.) HS, UC Santa Barbara right-hander Jackson Flora and Georgia Tech outfielder Drew Burress, among others. Maybe they shake up the board and go with Huntington Beach (Calif.) HS left-hander/outfielder Jacob Grindlinger, who is just 17 years old after reclassifying for this year’s Draft and has legitimate upside as a two-way player. Grindlinger is No. 16 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 250 Draft prospects list and is rising on boards as Draft day nears.
Prep players usually mean a lot of upside but with more risk, while college players bring a higher floor and more experience — often with a chance to move quickly. Over the full Draft, the Royals are going to value both.
“There’s a good mix of high school and college,” Bridges said. “To tell you the truth, our range is pretty broad. There’s a clear-cut four players, five players in this Draft, and then believe it or not, where we’re picking, you can go a number of different directions. So we have a pretty good balance of what we’re looking at, both high school and college.”
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