Peaceful civil disobedience is certainly worth a shot. So much of what is happening right now with the whole "trans scare" is reminiscent of paranoia that existed in the 50's and 60's concerning communists and African-Americans, only now propaganda is being streamlined with technology and substantial monetary backing. Kudos to anyone brave enough to put themselves on the line for the greater good. I hope things change before too many lives have to be ruined.
I stand in strong support of Boucher’s civil disobedience against Kansas’ discriminatory bathroom bill.
When laws are written to target and erase people simply for existing, refusing to comply becomes an act of conscience, dignity, and moral courage.
Civil disobedience has always been a catalyst for justice — from the civil rights movement to the fight for LGBTQ+ equality — and history consistently shows that unjust laws are not overturned by silence, but by people willing to stand up and say “enough.”
This bill does not protect anyone; it legitimizes harassment, exclusion, and fear.
Boucher’s actions remind us that equality is not granted by lawmakers — it is demanded by communities refusing to accept discrimination as policy.
Standing up peacefully against injustice is not lawlessness; it is democracy in action.
We must support those who put themselves on the line to defend human dignity and make clear that Kansas, and this country, must move forward toward inclusion, not backward into exclusion.
I will also support any fund that supports her legal representation
Thank you for reporting on this - please let us know if there is anything we can do to help her in the future, if she needs donations for a legal fund. A brave lady, for sure.
These laws are really not getting enough attention. It’s as if, even among left leaning independent journalists, many just want the issue (us) to go away. The audacity for us to simply want to exist in peace. If the Democratic Party doesn’t come out firmly against this sort of thing, they’ve lost even if they win. We do not have second class citizenship in the United States.
The governor can pardon her - and any other trans person caught up in this shit.
As for Boucher, she's got some sort of courage that I couldn't even begin to summon. She is one of our Rosa Parks figures. We have several, and they are all amazing.
This is slightly off-topic, and please forgive me (and ignore it!) if the question is unwelcome, but I noticed the term "trans panic" here, which I've heard a lot. It feels like this is buying into a bogus frame. In fact this is not a trans panic. It's trans persecution. It's a bunch of people who want to ruin the government using trans people as a wedge issue to get attention and get elected. The only people panicking here (maybe) are the victims and those who love them.
I know in a sense this is a useless quibble, but it feels like the people calling this a panic are not the perpetrators, and so maybe we should use language that serves us better. This is just the usual "persecute a minority group" playbook that we've seen play out over and over again. Can we call it that? Like, "the current wave of trans scapegoating" or something?
Brava, Ms. Boucher. As always, a woman stands up in truth against corrupt power, as Justice Jackson Brown did yesterday as the lone dissent in the conversion therapy case. Thanks for the reporting as well.
Thank you Samantha Boucher!! It has to start with one incredibly brave soul willing to risk physical and emotional harm. Perhaps more will follow and the lunacy of such bigotted laws will be brought to light for the average person. I'm sorry that Ms. Boucher has to endure this, but I'm eternally grateful to her for taking that first step.
Trans Kansan here. While I appreciate our state being highlighted as we fight this, we are experiencing a severe lack of people actually listening to us and what we need.
Outside activists have created their own campaigns "for us" instead of asking what we need or directing funds to well-established, Kansas-based Trans orgs. Unfortunately, this is a saviorism reality that organizers in red states are all to familiar with.
Alternative perspective from on the ground: Boucher is a trans Colorado resident. Trans Liberty is a PAC composed of primarily Cis people. The PAC has existed for less than a year. All were asked by established trans Kansas organizers and groups (who have organized our own very successful protests in the past including February and March of this year) to not pull this stunt at this time for a number of reasons.
Boucher not only ignored this and traveled in anyway, but also shamed at least one Kansas organizer for not joining her.
This is unacceptable and harmful to all trans Kansans who can't simply go back to Colorado after this is all over.
As the organizing adage goes: People closest to the problem are closest to the solution.
To be honest, we need less people to come in for photo ops to draw money to their own new initiatives instead of local ones that have been doing the work through years and decades of persecution here.
We don't need people outside of Kansas to intentionally try to trigger the first arrests of this bill that we have evaded thus far. We need allies from other states to ask, listen, and respect.
When y'all see future articles about trans rights in Kansas, please evaluate it based on if our voices are actually highlighted.
Hopefully no more harm will come to us based on ill-timed actions from people unaware of local strategies. Time will tell.
I’ve been debating civil disobedience on the driver’s license part. I got the initial “surrender your id” letter weeks ago, but it was still shown as valid on KDOR until earlier this week. The online change coincided with a second letter.
I really don’t want to willingly submit to these policies, but I feel like the judge in the ACLU case screwed us by denying the TRO and won’t be hearing further arguments until the end of September.
Civil Disobedience! "Why are you not here"? Henry David Thoreau to Ralph Waldo Emerson, on being asked why he was in jail.
And the fucking ABSURDITY of expecting her to use the men's room is clearly expressed in those photographs.
Peaceful civil disobedience is certainly worth a shot. So much of what is happening right now with the whole "trans scare" is reminiscent of paranoia that existed in the 50's and 60's concerning communists and African-Americans, only now propaganda is being streamlined with technology and substantial monetary backing. Kudos to anyone brave enough to put themselves on the line for the greater good. I hope things change before too many lives have to be ruined.
I stand in strong support of Boucher’s civil disobedience against Kansas’ discriminatory bathroom bill.
When laws are written to target and erase people simply for existing, refusing to comply becomes an act of conscience, dignity, and moral courage.
Civil disobedience has always been a catalyst for justice — from the civil rights movement to the fight for LGBTQ+ equality — and history consistently shows that unjust laws are not overturned by silence, but by people willing to stand up and say “enough.”
This bill does not protect anyone; it legitimizes harassment, exclusion, and fear.
Boucher’s actions remind us that equality is not granted by lawmakers — it is demanded by communities refusing to accept discrimination as policy.
Standing up peacefully against injustice is not lawlessness; it is democracy in action.
We must support those who put themselves on the line to defend human dignity and make clear that Kansas, and this country, must move forward toward inclusion, not backward into exclusion.
I will also support any fund that supports her legal representation
Thank you for reporting on this - please let us know if there is anything we can do to help her in the future, if she needs donations for a legal fund. A brave lady, for sure.
These laws are really not getting enough attention. It’s as if, even among left leaning independent journalists, many just want the issue (us) to go away. The audacity for us to simply want to exist in peace. If the Democratic Party doesn’t come out firmly against this sort of thing, they’ve lost even if they win. We do not have second class citizenship in the United States.
The governor can pardon her - and any other trans person caught up in this shit.
As for Boucher, she's got some sort of courage that I couldn't even begin to summon. She is one of our Rosa Parks figures. We have several, and they are all amazing.
Please let us know if she needs monetary or any other support!
All honor to her. What courage. What commitment. Hopefully the governor and other politicians will follow her example!
Please share her go fund me so we can pay her fine if one is levied.
This is slightly off-topic, and please forgive me (and ignore it!) if the question is unwelcome, but I noticed the term "trans panic" here, which I've heard a lot. It feels like this is buying into a bogus frame. In fact this is not a trans panic. It's trans persecution. It's a bunch of people who want to ruin the government using trans people as a wedge issue to get attention and get elected. The only people panicking here (maybe) are the victims and those who love them.
I know in a sense this is a useless quibble, but it feels like the people calling this a panic are not the perpetrators, and so maybe we should use language that serves us better. This is just the usual "persecute a minority group" playbook that we've seen play out over and over again. Can we call it that? Like, "the current wave of trans scapegoating" or something?
Way to be visible, Ms. Boucher!! Thank you for the reporting, S. Baum. And yes! re any GoFundMe.
Brava, Ms. Boucher. As always, a woman stands up in truth against corrupt power, as Justice Jackson Brown did yesterday as the lone dissent in the conversion therapy case. Thanks for the reporting as well.
wtf. Why only Jackson dissented? Sickening
Thank you Samantha Boucher!! It has to start with one incredibly brave soul willing to risk physical and emotional harm. Perhaps more will follow and the lunacy of such bigotted laws will be brought to light for the average person. I'm sorry that Ms. Boucher has to endure this, but I'm eternally grateful to her for taking that first step.
Trans Kansan here. While I appreciate our state being highlighted as we fight this, we are experiencing a severe lack of people actually listening to us and what we need.
Outside activists have created their own campaigns "for us" instead of asking what we need or directing funds to well-established, Kansas-based Trans orgs. Unfortunately, this is a saviorism reality that organizers in red states are all to familiar with.
Alternative perspective from on the ground: Boucher is a trans Colorado resident. Trans Liberty is a PAC composed of primarily Cis people. The PAC has existed for less than a year. All were asked by established trans Kansas organizers and groups (who have organized our own very successful protests in the past including February and March of this year) to not pull this stunt at this time for a number of reasons.
Boucher not only ignored this and traveled in anyway, but also shamed at least one Kansas organizer for not joining her.
This is unacceptable and harmful to all trans Kansans who can't simply go back to Colorado after this is all over.
As the organizing adage goes: People closest to the problem are closest to the solution.
To be honest, we need less people to come in for photo ops to draw money to their own new initiatives instead of local ones that have been doing the work through years and decades of persecution here.
We don't need people outside of Kansas to intentionally try to trigger the first arrests of this bill that we have evaded thus far. We need allies from other states to ask, listen, and respect.
When y'all see future articles about trans rights in Kansas, please evaluate it based on if our voices are actually highlighted.
Hopefully no more harm will come to us based on ill-timed actions from people unaware of local strategies. Time will tell.
I’ve been debating civil disobedience on the driver’s license part. I got the initial “surrender your id” letter weeks ago, but it was still shown as valid on KDOR until earlier this week. The online change coincided with a second letter.
I really don’t want to willingly submit to these policies, but I feel like the judge in the ACLU case screwed us by denying the TRO and won’t be hearing further arguments until the end of September.
What is TRO?
Temporary restraining order.