Anti-Trans Bill Kept Alive By Kansas Republicans

Republican legislators in Kansas continue to push an anti-trans bill in House sessions, despite a veto from the governor.

Republicans have devised a new plan for smuggling their bill through the Kansas legislature because they lack the one necessary vote to override democratic Governor Laura Kelly’s veto on Senate Bill 55, which would’ve prevented trans women from participating in women’s school sports,

Senate President Ty Masterson (R-99th District) aims to use the vastly popular House Bill 2246 as a vehicle for the shot down Senate Bill 55 by adding the anti-trans ban as an amendment. House Bill 2246 addresses college athletes’ ability to earn money through endorsement deals, a seemingly unrelated piece of legislation, but Masterson asserts otherwise.

“The most notable female athletes, absent this kind of protection, could potentially [be] biologically male, and we don’t want to create more confusion or [incentivize] more discrimination against our young women,” Masterson argues in Kansas newspaper The Topeka Capital-Journal. 

Defenders of trans rights are quick to point out that politicians like Masterson fail to provide evidence of their claims that trans participation in school sports would lead to “unfair advantages” or “discrimination” against their cisgender peers. There is, however, significant research on the detriments of banning trans youth athletes from sports.

Kansas republicans are not alone in their anti-trans crusade. This marks a record year for proposed legislation targeting trans individuals. In total, 124 bills are currently being considered in state legislatures with content similar to Kansas’ SB 55, banning trans people from school sports or healthcare access. The assault on human rights is egregious, but Kansas democrats are fighting back.

Representative Stephanie Byers (D- 86th District) spoke with the ACLU-Kansas. “It’s not about protecting women’s sports anymore,” she shares, “it’s [an] intentional attack.”

After failing to enact the unpopular trans discrimination bill during the regular session, #ksleg may try to attach it to an unrelated bill this week.

Rep. Byers discusses how this is no longer about women's sports, tying this moment into a history of discrimination. pic.twitter.com/vIvHqa0Y6B

— ACLU of Kansas (@aclukansas) May 24, 2021

Byers made history this past election cycle by becoming Kansas’ first openly trans legislator and promises her constituents that bills like this will not succeed in their state. “We’re not going to legislate discrimination here,” Byers tells Associated Press. “It’s going to be tough thing to fight, but we’re always going to do it.”