Including young kids likely to sink Kansas trans sports ban

Source: Associated Press

Including young kids likely to sink Kansas trans sports ban

By JOHN HANNA
April 2, 2022

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas appears unlikely to join other states this year in keeping transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s school sports, partly because conservative state lawmakers want the ban to apply to elementary school students.

The Republican-controlled Legislature approved a proposed ban early Saturday with solid majorities in both chambers — but not the two-thirds needed to override an almost-certain veto from Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. She rejected a similar bill last year, saying it would send “a devastating message that Kansas is not welcoming to all children and their families.”

Republicans nationwide have pushed the issue to appeal to a broad swath of voters, framing it as fairness in competition and access to scholarships. At least 12 other states have enacted such laws, including Arizona and Oklahoma this week. Supporters in Kansas believe the issue grew even more compelling for athletes and their families with the University of Pennsylvania’s Lia Thomas recently becoming the NCAA’s first transgender champion in women’s swimming.

But enough GOP lawmakers in Kansas keep breaking with Republican colleagues that LGBTQ-rights advocates probably will prevail for a second consecutive year. Several of those dissident Republicans said having a ban apply as early as kindergarten is a problem for them. State Sen. John Doll, a western Kansas Republican, has voted both ways and was a “no” early Saturday because he wasn’t able to persuade colleagues last month to exempt elementary school students from the ban.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/sports-kansas-topeka-education-legislature-6972397127e6ebc77984fd23b6d0e6ec