(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . It’s Personal Now: How My State Solidified My Resolve to Fight for Change [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-12-11 Two of the happiest moments of my gender affirmation journey were when I was able to change my birth certificate’s gender marker to female, and subsequently make the same change on my driver’s license. The sense of pride and fulfillment I felt from having my true gender confirmed on my ID documents brought tears of joy. That was in 2021. A couple of Mondays ago, it was time to renew my driver’s license. I dutifully made my appointment and showed up with my birth certificate, old driver’s license, and proof of address in hand. I was expecting this renewal to be a routine, five-minute process. But it soon became clear that something else was afoot. The licensing official stared at her computer screen with a perplexed look, and then looked over my birth certificate. Then, she asked for a moment and disappeared into the back office with my papers. After what seemed like forever, she finally returned and informed me that they could not accept my birth certificate. I instantly knew why. This was Kansas’ brand new “Women’s Bill of Rights” at work. Despite its name, this new law provides no protections or entitlements for women. Rather, it defines the words “female,” “male,” “woman,” and “man” in such a way that transgender people legally do not exist. Further, it disallows transgender people from changing their gender markers on their driver’s licenses and birth certificates. As someone who had made these changes before the law came into effect, I had hoped that I would be grandfathered into keeping them. But my hope was shattered in this moment. The DMV had a scanned copy of my original birth certificate on file, so they used that instead, and forced me to have the “M” gender marker placed back on my driver’s license. The licensing official made no further eye contact with me and did not wish me a pleasant day when the appointment was finally over. That was probably for the best, since I probably would have wished her the day she deserved as a part of this system of oppression. Dejected and defeated, I took my papers and my new license, walked back to my car, and sobbed. I felt erased and invalidated. Exactly how Republicans in my state wanted me to feel when they pushed this vile piece of bigoted legal garbage through the legislative process. They want me to feel like I’m not welcome in Kansas. They want me to feel fear of discrimination or harassment every time I must show my license. And they want me to disappear in whatever way is most expedient. And they’ll get what they wanted – all except for the last bit. I’m not disappearing. I’ve been preparing to run for state representative because I want to fight back against the next steps in their plan to eliminate transgender people. That Friday, I appeared in person at the Secretary of State’s office and made my candidacy official. In the face of this unmasked hate, I will not hide. In a state that wants to eliminate me, I will not be brought to heel. There are issues facing everyday Kansans that I, as a political candidate, would rather be talking about. Kansas needs to expand Medicaid to help the 150,000+ citizens who can’t access medical coverage. We need to invest in our public schools, which haven’t been fully funded in years despite a Kansas Supreme Court ruling requiring it. We need to legalize and tax cannabis so we can claim our share of revenues currently being lost to surrounding states. And we need to respect the mandate of the people when they said in August of 2022 that pregnancy-capable people have the right to choose their reproductive outcomes. But other than continuing to restrict abortion access, Republicans here don’t want to talk about those things – never mind that the majority of Kansans support all of the above points. No, the Kansas GOP would rather oppress women and minorities, including erasing transgender people. So, I have to keep talking about trans rights – this fight is what drove me to run for office in the first place. If our state can’t welcome all people, then it isn’t a welcoming place for anyone. Kansas literally bled for the idea that everyone deserves the right to live free. It’s on us to uphold that legacy. ~~ My name is Jaelynn Abegg, and I’m from Wichita, Kansas. I’m a musician, member of the working class, citizen of the Cherokee Nation, and proud transgender woman. I’m running for State Representative in Kansas’ 105th House District because I believe a fairer, safer, healthier, and more prosperous Kansas is worth fighting for. If you’d like to learn more about my campaign, visit my website: www.jaelynnforkansas.com. If you’d like to contribute to my campaign, you can do so securely via ActBlue: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/jaelynn4ks [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/12/11/2210858/-It-s-Personal-Now-How-My-State-Solidified-My-Resolve-to-Fight-for-Change?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/