Republican lawmakers in Kansas have voted to override Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of a comprehensive anti-transgender bill.
The bill, approved by both chambers earlier this month, would invalidate driver’s licenses and birth certificates that reflect a transgender person’s gender identity rather than the sex assigned at birth. Additionally, the use of restrooms that do not match gender is prohibited, and unisex restrooms with multiple stalls are also prohibited.
The original House bill focused on banning gender markers that match a person’s gender identity on ID cards, but Republicans employed a procedural ploy known as the “guts argument” and inserted House language into a previously approved Senate bill to add bathroom restrictions.
Kelly vetoed the bill, saying it was too broad, poorly drafted and riddled with unintended consequences. Critics say the bill’s strict language could prevent people from visiting loved ones of the opposite sex in hospitals, nursing homes and college dormitories.
“If your grandfather is in a nursing home in a shared room, you won’t be able to visit as a granddaughter. If your sister lives in a dorm at K-State, you won’t be able to visit her as a sibling,” Kelly said in a statement. “I believe Congress should stop telling Kansans how to go to the bathroom and instead focus on ways to make life more affordable for Kansans.”
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted 87-37 to override the veto, followed by the Republican-controlled Senate with a vote of 31-9.
“Kansas Democrats are here for them,” Senate President Ty Masterson (R-Andover) said in a statement, repeating a series of attacks that President Donald Trump used against former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential campaign. “I will continue to fight for you and protect women and girls across our state.”
State Rep. Avi Boatman (D), who is transgender, said the law “clearly discriminates against transgender people in a way that makes our lives increasingly difficult and dangerous.”
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
