Open Letter of Support and Solidarity for the People of Kansas
The North Dakota Human Rights Coalition has signed on to an open letter in solidarity with transgender and gender-diverse Kansans. The letter is included below.
LGBTQ+ State Leaders Statement
Visit lgbtqks.org to support trans Kansans harmed by SB 244
As leaders of state-based equality organizations from across the country, we stand together in solidarity with and support for the people of Kansas following the passage of SB 244, a dangerous and discriminatory law targeting the rights of transgender, nonbinary, intersex, and gender-diverse Kansans. Our hearts are with you.
SB 244—which passed only after the Legislature overrode a veto by the state’s governor—restricts the ability of transgender people to use public bathrooms, allows others to sue those in violation of the law, and immediately invalidates Kansans’ driver’s licenses and birth certificates if the sex marker is different than what was assigned at birth. This law has left countless Kansans scrambling with the knowledge that their driver’s licenses and other documents are no longer seen as valid by the state.
Identification documents are essential to navigating public life, a physical representation of how the government recognizes who we are as individuals. Identification documents are a foundational tool used to navigate many aspects of public society: travel and transportation, housing, healthcare, employment, even things as mundane as opening a bank account or joining a gym.
Invalidating these documents and restricting access to restrooms are grave attacks on
transgender, nonbinary, intersex, and gender-diverse Kansans, carrying immediate and practical implications. Can trans Kansans still legally drive to work? Board an airplane? Borrow a book from the library? SB 244 is an intolerable invasion of Kansans’ privacy and basic rights, as the ACLU of Kansas is already arguing in its lawsuit to stop the law.
While this litigation plays out, we urge our communities to stand with queer Kansas. To those wanting to help, visit lgbtqks.org to support trans Kansans harmed by SB 244 and consider supporting some of the amazing Kansas-based organizations like Loud Light, the LGBTQ Foundation of Kansas, Trans Women of Color Collective, Equality Kansas, the ACLU of Kansas, Our Spot KC, Transformations, and more. We see the amazing work you’re doing, each and every day.
But to the coordinated network of individuals and organizations pushing anti-trans policies in Kansas and across the country, we see you, too. We see that your anti-LGBTQ+ views are not popular. We see that your anti-trans policies are both attacks in and of themselves and act as stepping stones to your larger anti-democratic goals; make no mistake, we understand that this attack on trans people’s identification documents is also voter suppression. Most importantly, we see the tide turning and a progressive wave coming that will sweep you to the dustbin of history, where you belong.
Because we are not going anywhere. LGBTQ+ people are part of every state, every community, and every demographic in this country. Wherever there are people, that’s where you’ll also find trans people. (It feels like this should go without saying, but here we are in 2026.)
To trans and gender-diverse Kansans—you are not alone. Whether through our personal ties to the state of Kansas and its people, or through our shared work together, know that we are holding you in our hearts. Our organizations and communities are standing with you, and we will keep working until we all can enjoy the full promise of equality.
Ad astra per aspera. A rough road can, and will, lead to the stars.
In solidarity,
The North Dakota Human Rights Coalition and 42 other allied organizations across the country.
Looking to learn more about SB 244 and some of the organizations that are opposing it?
● Click here to read the text of SB 244
● Click here for statements by Kansas-based organizations opposing SB 244
● Click here to read the lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Kansas
