Kansas Advances Drastic Anti-Trans Legislation, Including ‘Bounty Hunter’ Provision
Kansas lawmakers recently passed legislation targeting transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals, enacting measures described by advocates as some of the most far-reaching in the nation. The bills encompass restrictions on bathroom access and a controversial provision allowing private citizens to seek monetary rewards for alleging encounters with trans people in restrooms.
The bathroom ban extends beyond typical restrictions, potentially reaching into private spaces. According to journalist Erin Reed, the vague language of the bill could empower “bounty hunters” to search for trans people in bathrooms, creating what she termed “the nation’s first private bathroom ban.”
Alongside the bathroom ban, the legislation also seeks to invalidate driver’s licenses, government IDs, and birth certificates that do not reflect a person’s sex assigned at birth. Trans Kansans would be required to surrender their current identification or face misdemeanor charges for driving with an invalid license. This forces a difficult choice: carrying identification that misrepresents their gender identity, potentially inviting harassment, or forgoing aspects of public life altogether.
The bills were passed with over two-thirds of the vote in both the state House and Senate, enough to override a potential veto from Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. This occurred through a legislative maneuver known as a “gut and go,” where the bathroom bounty provision was added to existing legislation.
Logan DeMond, director of policy and research at the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, stated that the legislation increases the vulnerability of transgender people to violence, particularly in restrooms, and violates their privacy by forcing changes to identification documents.
The legislation echoes a trend of bounty hunter laws embraced by Trumpian Republicans, recalling historical precedents like the Fugitive Slave Act. Similar laws have been proposed targeting abortion access and immigration enforcement. The aim, according to reporting, is to create a “climate of distrust and terror.”
State Rep. Abi Boatman, the only trans lawmaker in Kansas, expressed her dismay during debate, stating, “I have sat here for five and a half hours and listened to this entire room debate my humanity and my ability to participate in the most basic functions of society.”
Advocates point out that trans people are overwhelmingly the victims of harassment and violence in bathroom facilities, and that framing bathroom bills as a matter of cisgender women’s safety is a pretext for enforcing gender conformity. They also emphasize that Black trans and cis women are disproportionately affected by such policies.
The current legislative actions represent a shift from a decade ago, when similar bathroom bill proposals faced significant public backlash and boycotts. The Intercept reported that conservative think tanks have since refocused messaging around children and women’s sports, successfully activating the right-wing base and leading to the enactment of anti-trans laws in numerous states, including restrictions on gender-affirming care for trans youth in 27 states.
The Intercept also noted a pattern of Democratic leaders failing to mount robust opposition to these measures, highlighting the need for increased support for community-based networks and mutual aid funds that provide resources and solidarity to trans individuals.
