Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly has dropped two fiercely debated Republican bills – one banning transgender athletes from playing sports for girls and another forcing schools to let parents challenge the classroom curriculum – creating fierce conflict in the campaign for the first governor’s campaign. facing re-election in November.
“We all want a fair and safe place for our children to play and compete,” the Democrat wrote in a veto on Friday, vetoing a ban on translators. “However, this bill came from politicians who are trying to earn political points.”
Republicans have vowed to take action in the coming weeks.
“The law of justice in women’s sport is just that, justice,” said GOP Senate President Ty Masterson. “It simply sets guidelines that ensure that fair play continues for the women we have recognized for decades.
The legislature notes that the bill would ban biological male students from participating in girls ‘and women’s sports teams from elementary school to college, but would not prevent biological women from competing in boys’ teams, lawmakers said.
That’s because, according to GOP lawmakers in Kansas, transgender women have an inherent advantage over female-born athletes – citing the controversial case of NCAA swimming champion Leah Thomas as evidence.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly faces re-election this fall. AP Photo / John Hanna University of Pennsylvania swimmer Leah Thomas has sparked controversy after dominating the women’s Ivy League Championships. Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports
At least a dozen other countries have limited participation of trans girls in women’s sports. Kelly rejected a similar bill in 2021, citing the prospect of a potential boycott of Kansas business as a reason.
Kelly’s second veto rejected the creation of a “Parents ‘Rights Act” in education, which would require school districts to consider parents’ challenges to books in school libraries or classroom materials.
Supporters have promoted the bill as a way to combat allegations that Kansas teachers are using critical racial theory in their classrooms, another pressing social issue that is affecting school districts across the country.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly has accused Republicans of “trying to gain political points.” AP Photo / John Hanna, File Thomas competes in the 500m freestyle at the NCAA Swimming Championships in Atlanta on March 17, 2022. AP Photo / John Bazemore
Republicans immediately tried to turn the veto into responsibility for the campaign of Kelly, who won the gubernatorial post in 2018 with only 48 percent of the vote in the state with a purple trend.
“Kansas Democrats are determined to understand the hard way Democrats in Virginia have learned: voters don’t choose candidates who tell parents they don’t matter,” tweeted Joanna Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the Republican Governors’ Association.
Republican Glenn Youngkin won a landslide victory in the Virginia governor race last year on a platform promoting parental rights in education.
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