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Topeka, Kansas (AP) — Kansas has banned transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports from kindergarten through college. It’s the first of several new laws that Republican lawmakers could push past the will of Democratic governors to limit the rights of transgender people.
Congress Wednesday overruled Gov. Laura Kelly’s third veto in three years It introduced a bill banning transgender athletes and came out a day after state legislators passed a sweeping toilet bill. Nineteen other states have imposed restrictions on transgender athletes, with Wyoming being the most recent example.
kansas law It went into effect on July 1 and is one of hundreds of proposals pursued this year by Republican lawmakers across the country to push back LGBTQ rights.Kansas lawmakers who support ban are also pursuing proposals to end gender-affirming care Restrictions on use of toilets by minors.
Bill Approved by Kansas Lawmakers on Tuesday Prohibits transgender people from using public restrooms, changing rooms, and other facilities related to gender identity, and prohibits them from changing their name or gender on their driver’s licenses. Kelly is expected to refuse it.
“It’s a terrifying time to raise a transgender child in Kansas,” said Coordinating a gay alliance at his 13-year-old transgender son’s school, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) away, who has lived in Kansas all his life. said Kat Poland, a mother of three children who are ) northwest of Wichita. “We could face a very real threat of having to move, and that’s heartbreaking.”
The ban shows the influence of religious conservatives reflected in the 2022 platform. The Kansas Republican Party – “We believe God created man and woman” – and reflects the belief of many Republicans, whose voters do not like cultural shifts to acceptance.
“I wish it was 1960. You know, little Johnny is a boy and Mary is a girl. That’s the era,” said 70-year-old doctor Republican Rep. John Epley. said during a committee discussion. of the bathroom bill.
LGBTQ rights advocates say this is part of a national campaign by right-wing traditionalists to wipe it out. transgender, nonbinary, genderqueer, and gender-fluid people in American society.
Alex Poland, an eighth-grade cross-country runner who hopes to play baseball next year, said the legislature was pushing a “children’s bill” that he was “doing no harm to anyone.” .
Alex, who lobbied for mothers and transgender rights in the state capitol last week, said playing on teams related to gender identity was good for the mental health of transgender children and most other children do not care.
Alex says it’s mostly adults who “are very concerned about what transgender kids are doing.”
Kelly told reporters in the Kansas City area that he believes lawmakers will ultimately regret voting for “this really awful bill.”
“It breaks my heart and it’s certainly disappointing,” Kelly said.
In 2020, Idaho enacted its first state law regarding transgender athletes. That’s after conservatives pulled back from a nationwide backlash over North Carolina’s short-lived toilet law in 2016.In Kansas, conservatives’ biggest obstacle was Kerry, who narrowly won re-election Last year, I pitched myself as a political centrist.
The Republican Conservative Party in Kansas fell short of the two-thirds majority in both legislatures needed to overturn Kerry’s veto on the 2021 and 2022 Transgender Athletes Bills. But this year, the House voted 84-40 for him. It takes exactly the required two-thirds majority to override her veto.The vote was 28 to 12 In the Senate, they hold a majority of more than two-thirds.
Supporters of the ban were the only Democratic supporters to oppose the governor, although they were unable to override Kerry’s veto this year. Kansas City Rep. Marvin Robinson told reporters , he said he wanted to meet “in the middle” but found the debate “all or nothing.” He said he prayed for guidance before voting.
Two LGBTQ Democrats from the Kansas City area were particularly angry because they believed Republicans were happy with the House vote.
Rep. Heather Meyer stood up, opened her jacket, showed her “Protect Trans Youth” T-shirt, and then made a rude gesture as she left the room. Rep. Susan Lewis yelled at GOP members and she briefly cursed them before being told she was out of order.
“We’re tired of being patient, and I’m tired of being patient,” she later said.
Across the United States, proponents of such a ban argue it would keep competition fair. Adopt the same rules as last year’s swimming.
Supporters also claim to ensure that cisgender girls and women do not lose out on scholarships and other opportunities that did not exist decades ago.
“In the last 50 years, women have finally been able to create a department that celebrates our differences and allows us to achieve similar athletic endeavors as men,” says Caroline Bruce McAndrew. A former Olympic swimmer and member of the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in Wichita testified to Congress.
LGBTQ rights advocates acknowledge that the debate about competition resonates outside conservative Republican bases because of the long-standing assumption that men and boys are naturally stronger than women and girls.
They are also frustrated that discussions often center on whether transgender athletes have or can win championships.
Hudson Taylor, a three-time All-American Collegiate Wrestler, said youth sports should be about discipline, “healthy habits,” and having fun in a supportive environment. He founded and leads the professional LGBTQ group Athlete Ally.
“Youth sports have been professionalized for the last 40 years,” says Taylor. “Very often, legislators and people opposing the inclusion of trans athletes actually go straight to the most elite, top-talented and Olympic hopeful athletes.”
A Kansas bill bans transgender players from women’s and girls’ teams beginning in kindergarten, even though sports and other extracurricular activities aren’t overseen by the Kansas State High School Activities Association until the seventh grade.
This is one reason why LGBTQ advocates are skeptical that the real issue is fair competition. Another is the shortage of transgender female athletes..
According to the state association, three transgender girls in grades 7 through 12 competed in the sport this year, two of them in seniors. Taylor said she likely has less than 500 transgender athletes in college. According to the NCAA, there are about 219,000 women play college sports.
An international athletics ban does not affect a single transgender female athlete.
Kat Poland, Kansas mother of a transgender son, said: Where can they exist to live safe, happy and fulfilling lives? “
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Follow Jon Hannah on Twitter. https://twitter.com/apjdhanna
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