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. 

“We cannot overstate the harm this bill will cause to some of our most vulnerable Kansas children and their families,” D.C. Hiegert, LGBTQ+ fellow of the ACLU of Kansas, said in a statement after the veto.

"In addition to depriving parents and families of medical freedom, this bill actually punishes teachers, doctors, nurses, and more for just doing their jobs by respecting and supporting Kansas kids, including transgender kids," said the ACLU of Kansas in a statement asking Kelly to veto the bill.