By Jennifer Theurer
A bill is on its way to Gov. Laura Kelly that would require people using bathrooms as defined by their biological sex in public areas such as schools, universities and government buildings.
According to a recent article by Matt Flener, KMBC 9 News reporter, Republican lawmakers fast-tracked the bill alleging they have received phone calls and correspondence from women that feel unsafe using public restrooms with transgender individuals.
In that same article, Flener reports Democrats, the ACLU of Kansas, and those who support the LGBTQ+ community, aren’t pleased that the bill was passed without the chance for public debate.
Logan Demond, ACLU of Kansas policy director, posted a statement to the organization’s website that said, “Bathroom bans are grounded in prejudice and misinformation and they don’t actually make anyone safer.”
Lawmakers attached the bathroom provision to a Senate bill that prevents Kansans from changing how their gender identity is listed on their driver’s license.
The bill is now with Gov. Kelly. If it is vetoed by Kelly, it will kick back to the Kansas Legislature, which could override the veto with Republican supermajorities.
