Kansas Law Requires Trans-Individuals To Use The Facility Which Matches Their Biological Sex
Kansas has become the latest state to pass a bill that restricts trans-identifying individuals from using the bathroom of their preferred gender.
The state senate has passed a bill that will require individuals to use bathrooms and locker rooms that correlate with their “sex” rather than their self-identifying gender. The law defines sex as “either male or female, at birth.”
The bill will also prohibit individuals from being allowed to change their sex on public documents such as birth certificates and driver’s licenses.
Prior to the State Senate’s vote on the bill, over 150 LGBT activists protested outside the state capitol to express disagreement with the bill. One protestor held a sign that states “queer and trans blood will be on your hands with these laws.” Another sign read, “I’d rather pee next to a trans person than a bigot.”
Ian Benalcazar, a 13-year-old trans boy, was among the protestors outside the capitol. Banalcazar stated, “I am what they are scared of. I am a human being and I deserve to be treated as such, and I deserve to be happy.”
Conservative lawmaker Brenda Landwehr defended the bill, stating that it ensures women are protected in women-only spaces.
“We talk about rights,” Landwehr said. “What’s the rights of a woman? You’re saying I have no more rights. I can’t go into a woman’s bathroom and know that a male will not walk into the bathroom. What about my rights, what about my comfort zone?”
Kansas’ decision to pass this bill is part of a broader movement of states taking transgender issues into their own hands. According to USA Today, eight states across the country have laws in place that restrict transgender adults from using their preferred bathroom, while another 10 states have laws specifically regarding K-12 schools.
