The state of Kansas has invalidated roughly 1,700 driver’s licenses after a new law barred gender marker changes that differ from a person’s sex at birth.

The Kansas Department of Revenue confirmed that licenses previously updated to reflect a different gender marker were voided under the policy. Affected residents are now being notified that their licenses are “invalid immediately” and must be replaced with documents reflecting their birth sex to continue driving legally.

The law is among several measures nationwide addressing gender markers on government identification documents. Kansas’ policy also applies retroactively to licenses that had been previously updated under earlier state rules.

The legislation was passed after the Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature voted to override a veto from Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. Kelly argued the proposal interfered with personal decisions and urged lawmakers to focus on other policy priorities.

Supporters of the law said it was designed to ensure that state identification records align with Kansas’ legal definition of sex as male or female at birth.

Kris Kobach had previously argued that allowing gender marker changes conflicted with a 2023 state law that defines sex based on birth records.

The policy has also prompted legal challenges. Two Kansas residents filed a lawsuit claiming the rule violates constitutional protections related to privacy, equality, and due process.

James McCabria, a district judge in Douglas County, declined to issue a temporary restraining order blocking the law while the case moves forward.

Kansas had previously allowed gender marker updates on driver’s licenses beginning in 2007. Under the new law, the state has begun sending letters to affected residents instructing them to surrender their current licenses and obtain new ones that reflect their birth sex.

State officials said the policy took effect immediately after the law was published in the state register earlier this year.