News & Commentary

In a statement, the ACLU of Kansas said the Supreme Court's decision means the appellate court ruling can go into effect on Oct. 6. At that time, the Department of Revenue "can legally resume making gender changes on driver's licenses, although KDOR has not yet confirmed when it will begin doing so."

“We look forward to KDOR resuming gender-marker changes on driver’s licenses at the earliest possible time,” said Monica Bennett, Legal Director of the ACLU of Kansas. “The ACLU of Kansas will work to update the local community as soon as more information becomes available, and we look forward to litigating the rest of this case for a final favorable outcome for all transgender Kansans.”

“We know that accurate gender markers are a matter of safety and well-being for transgender Kansans,” says Julie Murray, Co-Director of the ACLU’s State Supreme Court Initiative in a news release. “The Kansas Supreme Court’s decision this week will finally bring an end to nearly two years of government intrusion on trans Kansans’ privacy and put a stop to the attorney general’s efforts to forcibly out people in their daily lives.”

Lenexa City officials, including council members and the police department, must ensure policy and practice embody their stated values and hopes of fostering greater inclusion and trust if those values are to be meaningful. Recent events show there is more work to do for accountability to constituents, but also accessibility for the community.

"The court would effectively here have to take a red pen to the Legislature's work — something that is not the place for this court and instead is something that the Legislature ... could do itself, should it want to," Murray said.

According to the ACLU of Kansas, which joined the case on behalf of five trans Kansans, the order reversing the temporary injunction against KDOR will go into effect Oct. 6. “The Kansas Supreme Court’s decision this week will finally bring an end to nearly two years of government intrusion on trans Kansans’ privacy and put a stop to the attorney general’s efforts to forcibly out people in their daily lives,” said Julie Murray, co-director of the ACLU’s State Supreme Court Initiative, in an email statement.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and several Wichita organizations are urging the Sedgwick County Court System to change its bail practices, saying the current system unfairly impacts people living in poverty.

Dr. Kubic leads the ACLU of Kansas, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and defending the constitutional rights and civil liberties of all Kansans. The organization works through the courts, the state legislature, and local communities to challenge threats to individual freedoms and to expand protections for those most at risk of discrimination or exclusion.

This week, we spoke with the ACLU of Kansas, which is closely monitoring the situation. The organization said that those fired by private companies over their comments may not have much recourse, but firings from Kansas schools are a different story, as they are an arm of the government, and the constitution is at play.