Kansas Anti-Trans Bathroom Bill: Republicans Override State Governor

Kansas Republicans pass sweeping anti-trans bathroom bill with 84-40 results
GOP lawmakers in the state passed the bill by overriding Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly's veto of the measure
The bill defines sex to be an "individual's biological sex, either male or female, at birth"

Kansas Republicans passed a sweeping anti-trans bathroom bill that some LGBTQ rights groups call one of the most restrictive in the history of the United States by overriding state Gov. Laura Kelly's veto of the measure.

On Thursday, the Kansas House voted 84-40 to override Kelly's veto of Senate Bill 180. This particular piece of legislation defines sex in state law to be an "individual's biological sex, either male or female, at birth." On Wednesday, Apr. 26, the Senate voted on the measure, resulting in 28-12.

Kansas Anti-Trans Bathroom Bill

The bill will take effect on July 1 and will legally define women as individuals "whose biological reproductive system is developed to produce ova." On the other hand, it defines men as those whose "biological reproductive system is developed to fertilize the ova of a female," as per The Hill.

The measure declares that the distinctions between the sexes in certain spaces are significantly related to the important government objectives of protecting health, safety, and privacy. The new law would affect school restrooms, lock rooms, prisons, domestic violence shelters, and rape crisis centers.

Supporters of the new bill argued that such types of legislation are needed in order to prevent transgender women from sharing bathrooms, changing rooms, and other similar facilities with cisgender women and girls. However, opponents of the measure argued that it was too broad and difficult to enforce.

Some LGBTQ activists have argued that the anti-trans bathroom bill would legally write transgender people out of state law. Earlier this week, Montana legislators also passed a bill that seeks to adopt a similarly narrow definition of sex in their state law.

Gov. Kelly did not immediately respond to requests for comments regarding the passage of the bill in Kansas. Her previous veto of the measure was overridden with a two-thirds majority of both chambers, which is currently under the control of the Republican Party, according to the Washington Post.

Defining People's Sexes

In a Twitter post following the Thursday vote, the Kansas governor said that she was disappointed that some lawmakers were eager to force through extremist legislation that would simply hurt the economy and tarnish the state's reputation as the "Free State."

Republican lawmakers released a statement in response, saying they were standing with women and girls in the state and their right to privacy, safety, and dignity in single-sex spaces. They argued that trading one group's rights for another's is not something that should ever be done.

The new measure is the culmination of a long-running messaging campaign that Republicans have built across the U.S. that was directed at passing a "Women's Bill of Rights." The GOP victory in Kansas could signal that their tactics are effective and could bolster support for similar proposals in other states, such as Oklahoma, South Carolina, North Dakota, and Tennessee, said Policito.