News & Commentary

“It’s hard to know what version of bill that we’re going to see get traction because Kansas has seen a range of minor gender-affirming healthcare bills be introduced — some that would be much smaller in their impact on the community,” said D.C. Hiegert,

In Kansas, lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union have drafted a letter reminding election workers that a gender marker on a person’s identification does not need to match or correspond to a voter’s gender expression.

Donnavan Dillon, a 21-year-old junior at the University of Kansas, community organizer and self-identified member of the queer community, spends his days like most of his peers: he attends classes, does homework, goes to work and hangs out with his friends, when he finds the time. 

Micah Kubic responds to A.G. Kris Kobach's statement in 2023 on proposed Title IX changes.

“I think that’s what his lawsuit is about, saying there are some folks who are not a part of our community who should be excluded, who should be punished and be persecuted by the law," says ACLU of Kansas executive director Micah Kubic.

Kansas ACLU Executive Director Micah Kubic said Kobach is either misunderstanding or misinterpreting Title IX in his suit against the rule change.

“We felt like we were fighting an uphill battle,” said D.C. Hiegert, LGBTQ+ legal fellow at the ACLU of Kansas. Hiegert said they hoped that work helped to move Republican lawmakers against the gender-affirming care ban. The ultimate goal, they said, was to convey to lawmakers that Kansans did not want this bill to go into law — especially after the number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills that passed last year. 

In 2023, Kansas enacted a law attempting to define “transgender” out of existence by restricting the definition of a “woman” to the biological function of producing ova. Not only does this definition negate the experiences of trans women and girls, but it also excludes entire categories of women who are not transgender, such as post-menopausal women, women experiencing reproductive challenges, and intersex women.

She was referring to SB 233, which passed both chambers of the Kansas Legislature and was vetoed by Gov. Laura Kelly earlier this year. Supporters of the bill plan to attempt to override it when they come back for a veto override session that begins Monday.