State Legislators Debate Trans Youth Rights

Trans State LegiSLation RightsDEBATES

Students targeted in new bills

During a year filled with fallout from the pandemic and political uprisings, some Kansas legislators have focused their attention on other matters: transgender youth. A History of anti-LGBTQ legislation

proven high testosterone levels increase muscle mass, heart size and the amount of oxygen in the blood. All of these qualities can give an advantage in athletic ability. Supporters of the bill are suggesting high school and college-aged males could publicly transition just to have the opportunity to compete and win against females.

Kansas is no stranger to discriminatory bills. In “Letting biological boys compete in biological 2019, seven representatives sponsored a bill that girls’ high school and college sports is not equal, it aimed to outlaw same-sex marriage doesn’t level the playing field and it’s by classifying homosexuality as a Our kids deserve certainly not fair,” Senator Roger religion whose followers participate in compassionate Marshall (R-KS) said. an “organized daily code.” During the wave of “bathroom bills” in 2016, the Committee on Federal and State Affairs government and leadership and... While SB 208 was introduced on a state level, Marshall presented a bill that would make this a national law. sponsored a bill allowing students to the Senate has The original bill proposed a sue their district for up to $2,500 if they failed them physical examination in response found a person of the wrong sex in their to disputes over a student’s gender school bathroom. - Dinah Sykes that would evaluate the athlete’s

During this year’s legislative session, three bills reproductive anatomy, genetic makeup and naturally directed at transgender youth have been introduced: produced testosterone levels. There was no mention Senate Bill 208, House Bill 2210 and a matching bill of how these examinations would be paid for or what in the senate. would happen in the case of an intersex student. The Senate Committee on Education removed this SB 208 The Fairness in Women’s Sports Act language from the final bill. “This bill may be one of the most extreme examples of this type of hateful legislation,” said

TCommittee Ranking Minority Member Dinah he Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, SB 208, aims Sykes, D-Lenexa. “Our kids deserve compassionate to ban transgender women from participating on government and leadership and... the Senate has women’s sports teams. The bill says women are at an failed them in their duty to provide that. Trans youth inherent disadvantage in athletics when compared to are seeing how little their elected representatives men. This is true: the National Institute of Health has value their lives and contributions to our state. I am

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heartbroken for them and promise that I will continue to fight for their dignity and rights.”

In 2015, the Kansas High School Activities Association passed guidance on the participation of transgender athletes. The policy allows each school to determine what team the student will play on. It also recommends for the school to consider the impacts of allowing the student to play on a team that correctly aligns with their gender identity. Additionally, it recommends schools to allow transgender students to use their preferred name, pronouns, gender presentation and bathrooms.

This guidance hasn’t been an issue in the A tryptic by Wren Smith, Free State alimni. With three canvases, each past. represents a different stage in their life--their past (blue), present (yel“We essentially have 105,000 youth that are participating in sports in the state of low), and future (red). Combined, the artwork represents what their identity means to them. @/wrenstrays on instagram Kansas,” said Tori Gleason, a transgender Gender Identity: A person’s conception of being anywhere on or outside health activist who works with the advocacy of the gender spectrum. It’s their own personal experience of gender. group Equality Kansas. “We have five youth that we know of that are trans or non-binary athletes competing in the NCAA signed a letter asking [that compete in high school activities]… so the reality the organization to not hold competitions in states that is, when you look at that, it’s a non issue in Kansas.” pass bills discriminating against transgender athletes.

Others take issue with legislators’ reasoning for This will greatly affect the state, since the 2022 NCAA the bill, since other athletic organizations allow Division I Women’s Basketball Championship is transgender participants. scheduled to be held in Wichita.

“I don’t think it has really anything to do with Similar bills have been introduced in 25 states, the integrity of sports, or maybe groups like the with Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi signing this NCAA would be for the ban of trans youth, which legislation into law. they’re not,” said Christiana Cranberry, a Lawrence The exact language that was introduced has been paraeducator and transgender woman. connected to the Alliance Defending Freedom, a

The NCAA has gotten involved with transgender right-wing non-profit organization. The ADF also rights before, boycotting the state of North opposes abortion and marriages or civil unions for Carolina after they passed a law in same-sex couples and advocates for forced sterilization 2017 preventing transgender of transgender people. Former Education Secretary Out of around people from using the Betsy DeVos and Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney 105,000 bathroom that correctly aligns with their gender identity. Barrett are both connected to this organization. “This kind of legislation is expensive and it takes space where better legislation could be happening,” student athletes in Kansas, This year, Cranberry said. there are only more than On March 17, the Senate passed the original bill 5 known trans or non-binary athletes in the state 500 student on a 24-10 vote. story by Isis Norris pages by Hannah De Guzman illustration by Delaney Rockers art submitted by Wren Smith 15

SB 208 Gut and Go

“Making it a crime for doctors to perform gender reassignment surgery or hormone

After the bill passed through the Senate, the replacement therapy on minors” legislature set up what is known as a conference committee. This committee was composed of three Senators and three Representatives. In the 10 minute HB 2210, was declared dead when it did not pass through the Committee on Health and Human meeting, Sen. Molly Baumgardner, R-Louisburg, Services. It attempted to outlaw gender-affirming proposed a motion to strip the contents of SB 55, medical treatments on anyone under 18. Any doctor which originally regulated a chiropractic school and charged with performing these treatments would have inserted the entirety of SB 208. their medical license revoked and be charged with a This action, called a “gut and go,” prevents any amendments to This is based on an level eight felony, which carries a sentence of seven to 23 months in the bill and leaves legislators only to outdated view that we jail. vote “yes” or “no.” are divided into ‘male’ A similar bill passed in Arkansas, Last Friday, the House voted 76-43 and the Senate voted 2511 to pass the bill and send it to and ‘female’ rather than the more complicated which was vetoed by the governor. The legislature then overrode the governor’s veto. There are 40 bills Governor Laura Kelly to sign. Kelly understandings of gender, focused on transgender youth’s can choose to veto the bill and, since gender identity and medical care proposed in 21 states neither chamber had the approval margin to override the veto, the bill gender expression this spring. Transitioning, at any age, can might not become law. - Senator Marci Francisco take many forms. According to

While the bill has support in the Mayo Clinic, the American Topeka, senators and representatives from Lawrence Pediatric Association and the American Psychological have denounced it. Association, if a child decides to medically transition,

“This is based on an outdated view that we are a doctor will typically prescribe hormone blockers. divided into ‘male’ and ‘female’ rather than the more These stop the body from producing the hormones complicated understandings of gender, gender identity that create the physical changes seen during puberty. and gender expression,” said Senator Marci Francisco, Hormone blockers can be stopped at any time and D-Lawrence. leave no lasting effects on the hormones naturally

Another Lawrence representative, Dennis “Boog” produced within the body. Essentially, this treatment is Highberger, D-Lawrence, also disagrees with the bill. completely reversible.

“I expect the legislators who introduced these bills “Think of a blocker like a pause button,” Gleason don’t really know any transgender individuals and said. “If you push the pause button, you don’t get all don’t understand how hurtful just introducing bills like those changes [seen during puberty].” this can be,” Highberger said. When training doctors in Western Kansas and

Gender Identity vs.Gender Expression

Gender Expression: How one outwardly presents their gender. Based around societal standards which define what’s masculine and feminine.

American Pedriatic Association U S C F Transgender Care

In short, gender identity is how one percieves themselves on the gender spectrum, while gender expression is how they choose to show this. Not all people present their gender identity, for multiple reasons.

American Psychologi cal A s s o c ia t ion

gender dysphoria: incongruence between one’s sex assigned at birth and one’s gender identity.

hormone replacement therapy: injecting or applying testosterone or estrogen in order to match one’s gender identity. also may include hormone blockers.

Medical transitioning can involve different treatments from person to person, and not everyone transitions medically. It can involve gender affirming surgeries, hormone therapy, speech therapy and hair removal.

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Within the story

Kelly Jones, USD497 School Board P re s i dent Christiana Cranberry , USD49 7 p arae ducator & transgender woman

T ori Gleason, transgender health ac t i v i s t

Eastern Colorado, Gleason draws on her own experiences as a transgender woman to help others understand how to properly care for patients with a variety of gender identities.

Rep. Brett Fairchild, R-St. John, co-sponsor of HB 2210, believes the bill is a way for the state to protect children from being forced to transition by a parent or guardian. The Free Press reached out to the bill’s other co-sponsors, who did not respond.

Fairchild points to a custody battle between Anne Georgulas, Jeffrey Younger and their 7-year-old transgender daughter as an example of a parent forcing a child to transition. Georgulas and Younger were attempting to finalize a divorce in Texas when Georgulas said their child wanted to present as a girl. Younger denied these claims. The case was subject to heavy scrutiny from conservatives, who said Georgulas was forcing her child to present as a girl. In 2020, a judge ruled both parents would have joint custody and both would need to consent to any medical treatments performed on the child.

Although he didn’t expect the bill to be signed into law, Fairchild hoped it would bring attention to what he sees as an issue facing young Kansans. However, Fairchild insists he holds no hate towards transgender people.

“If a young person feels they want to transition to the opposite sex, they can still do so once they turn 18, when they’ve become mature enough to make that decision for themselves,” Fairchild said.

Some see the legislation as motivated by more than protecting children.

“[This legislation] basically stifle[s] or keep[s] young trans kids from becoming healthy, because they don’t want older trans people to become successful and healthy,” Gleason said. “You know, it’s there for a reason.”

Life after Legislation

For Cranberry, the next steps involve calling on transgender youth and their allies to be more engaged in politics from a local level.

“I believe it’s important to be politically active, but I think it’s really very necessary everyone feels safe to do that,” Cranberry said.

She suggests transgender people and their allies form a group to advocate against passage of the bill and others like it with letter writing campaigns.

Even though the bill might become a reality, Lawrence school board president Kelly Jones has made her position clear.

“These transphobic bills are abhorrent,” Jones said. “It’s the board’s obligation to provide you an environment where you can be exactly who you are, which needs no explanation. Period.”

Gleason agrees this legislation and other bills like it are an attack on children.

“Our bullies are not our classmates, our bullies come from Topeka,” Gleason said.