Great Plains Conference | March 3, 2026
Dear Clergy and Laity of The Great Plains Conference:
I have spent the past few days at the 2026 Fresh Expressions United Methodist National Gathering in Ocala, Florida, immersed in discussion and presentations about how we can enter into ministry in new ways and how we can best bear witness to our faith by sharing community and hospitality with diverse groups of people.
Bishop David Wilson
Bishop David Wilson encourages Kansas United Methodists to pray for those affected by the state's new anti-transgender legislation. (Photo Courtesy of Great Plains Episcopal Area)
It is quite the opposite feeling I get from the news I’ve been reading from afar this week about the enactment of a new law in Kansas aimed at transgender persons. Kansas lawmakers overrode Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of Senate Bill 244, enacting a law that prohibits transgender people from using their preferred public restroom on government properties. It invalidates state-issued driver’s licenses for people who have updated their gender identification. Also, as part of the law, people cannot update their gender identity on birth certificates or driver’s licenses in the future.
I ask that all United Methodists, regardless of your stance on the topics addressed by SB 244, pray with me for the peace of mind and safety of transgender persons. Many are, no doubt, feeling doubt, fear and, at the least, frustration over this action. We are all created in the image of God and, therefore, deserve respect, empathy, and love. Once again, the very lives and existence of a particular group of people has been singled out, seemingly only to score political points.
One major concern is how the provisions of this law were not well thought out. The driver’s license component, for example, in effect made it illegal for people to drive to the Department of Motor Vehicles to obtain a new driver’s license, and at their own expense.
I urge lawmakers to consider that the matters addressed in these and similar acts of legislation are not merely issues, but involve real people who face real fears and who have real reason for doubt about whether their state government represents them. I don’t think that should be the goal for lawmakers. And it should not be our goal as followers of the risen Christ who taught that the greatest commandment is to love God, and the second most important is like it: to love others as we love ourselves.
My prayer is that we can have respectful discussions going forward and that we would work to preserve the dignity of people rather than to demean them.
Bishop David Wilson, Great Plains Conference