Kansas

Driver's license gender needs to match sex assigned at birth, Kansas AG Kris Kobach argues in court – Kansas Reflector

Published

2 years ago

January 12, 2024

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.

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Kansas

Star lineup unveiled for FIFA Fan Festival in Kansas City

Published

18 hours ago

April 16, 2026

Press Room

Star lineup unveiled for FIFA Fan Festival in Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With less than two months until the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in cities across the country, KC2026 announced the lineup of artists expected to perform at the Kansas City FIFA Fan Festival.

From the Chainsmokers to Flo Rida to Kansas City legend Tech N9ne, fans can expect to see dozens of performances from top acts over the course of the 18-day event.

Here are some headline dates scheduled during the “world’s biggest football party,” according to KC2026:

The Chainsmokers — June 13
Flo Rida — June 19
Cimafunk — June 20
Gabby Barret — July 3
The All-American Rejects — July 11
Tech N9ne — June 12 and July 11

Several other performers will take to the stage outside of the National World War I Museum and Memorial. The list of artists can be found in the poster image provided below:

According to KC2026, all acts and dates are subject to change, and tickets to the event are already available on the KC2026 Fan Fest website.

General admission is free and open to the public; however, the organization is offering other packages to upgrade the experience. Here’s everything you need to know:

General Admission — Free
- On a first-come, first-served basis
Premium Garden Pass — $55
- Includes all the benefits of general admission, access to expedited entry lanes, exclusive standing-room viewing in the Premium Viewing Area, premium restrooms, a dedicated bar area and access to premium food options.
Legacy Lounge Pass — $225
- The Legacy Lounge Pass includes all the benefits of the Premium Garden Pass with access to an air-conditioned lounge, a two-tiered viewing structure, all-inclusive food options, a premium beverage package,  climate-controlled restrooms, unique photo opportunities with iconic Kansas City sports memorabilia and access into the Premium Viewing Area.

The FIFA Fan Festival will serve a maximum of 25,000 people daily and include KC match days, USMNT match days and the Fourth of July.

Fans can expect the stage at the event to be twice the size of Chappell Roan’s massive October 2025 concert, when she performed two sold-out shows on the lawn of the World War I Museum and Memorial to approximately 30,000 fans each night.

Over the course of the tournament, the festival will have themed days to get fans in the World Cup spirit. For a list of those themed events, click here.

For more information about the tournament, tune into Kansas City’s World Cup headquarters, FOX4 News, for the latest announcements before and during the historic summer event.

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Kansas

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly urging lawmakers to be ‘honest’ about property tax relief ahead of 2026 election

Published

1 day ago

April 16, 2026

Press Room

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly urging lawmakers to be ‘honest’ about property tax relief ahead of 2026 election

TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly is sending a strong message to lawmakers, who she believes are making unrealistic promises to voters about property tax relief.

As the election season approaches, all 125 members of the Kansas House of Representatives are up for re-election. Property taxes continue to be a major issue for home and business owners in the state, and it’s an issue that many Kansas lawmakers focus their campaign on. This year, Kelly is warning lawmakers against this.

“Legislators are out there promising the moon to people when it comes to property taxes,” Kelly said. “The fact of the matter is that the state has very little control over property taxes.”

Currently, the state levies 20 mills of property tax to help support Kansas schools. All other property tax in the state is being imposed and collected by local governments. Kelly is hoping that lawmakers make that clear to voters while they run their campaigns.

“I hope on this campaign trail that candidates are honest about what they can really do, which is work with their local elected officials to come up with a resolution,” Kelly said.

Lawmakers attempted to pass legislation during the 2026 legislative session. The Kansas Senate favored a plan that would’ve placed a 3% cap on annual property value increases. The House of Representatives proposed a “rolling averages” plan, which would calculate a home’s taxable value based on the average of its market value over a set number of years.

Ultimately, neither of those plans went through. However, lawmakers did manage to pass HB 2043, a protest petition bill. It allows voters to push back on property tax increases if they go above 3%.

It now sits on Kelly’s desk waiting for her decision. She can either sign the bill or veto it. Kelly did not comment on where she stands on the bill today.

For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here.

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Man arrested in Riley County for fatal southwest Kansas crash

Published

2 days ago

April 15, 2026

Press Room

Man arrested in Riley County for fatal southwest Kansas crash

RILEY COUNTY—A man involved in a fatal southwest Kansas crash was arrested Tuesday in Riley County.

According to the Riley County Police Department activity reported, just before 5p.m. Tuesday 21-year-old Nicholas Ellis Biddle of Wichita, was arrested in the 1000 block of S. Seth Child Road on a Seward County District Court warrant for involuntary manslaughter, reckless driving, maximum speed limits and failure to yield at a stop or yield sign.

In June of 2024,the Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2023 Chevy Silverado driven by Biddle was southbound on Road T at U.S. 160 in Seward County.

The driver failed to yield and struck a westbound 2017 Nissan Rogue driven by Jamee E. Perez, 42, Hugoton. After impact both vehicles rolled an unknown number of times before coming and came to rest in the ditch.

EMS transported Biddle and Perez to Southwest Medical in Liberal where Perez was pronounced deceased. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

According to the Riley County Police Department, Biddle met the requirement of a $50,000 bond and is no longer confined in the Riley County Jail.

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