A transgender woman in Kansas has had charges against her dismissed after a police stop led to her being accused of driving without a valid license.
On 5 May, Kansas resident Kris Ripper said she was pulled over by a police officer while driving home in the rain, after sunny weather earlier in the day had caused her car’s headlights to turn off.
Ripper said the officer then “spent like 10 minutes” questioning whether her licence was real.
“I explained to him that I am a transgender woman,” Ripper said. “It has to say ‘M’ legally.”
She said the officer eventually returned the licence and let her go with a verbal warning.
“He just awkwardly gave it back to me and sent me on my way with a verbal warning.”
However, this week Ripper received a notice informing her that she had failed to appear in county court for an arraignment after being charged with operating a motor vehicle without a valid licence.
The charge was a class B misdemeanour, which could have carried up to six months in jail, a fine of up to US$1,000 and a permanent criminal record.
Ripper was also informed that if she did not appear in jail within 30 days, her licence would be revoked.
“I literally got this notice in the mail after getting back from work so I can’t even call anyone to double-check,” she told Transistics News earlier this week.
“Everything I know about the case itself is from searching the case number on the notice. I’m just a little scared and freaking out.”
Transistics News has since confirmed that the charges against Ripper were dismissed by the county prosecutor as of 23 June.
The case has nevertheless highlighted the ongoing challenges faced by transgender Kansans following SB 244, a state law that has restricted legal recognition for trans people and affected how gender markers are recorded on official documents.
For Ripper, a routine traffic stop became a frightening legal ordeal — one that advocates say reflects the wider risks created when transgender people are forced to carry identity documents that do not match who they are.
