Transgender issues are at the forefront of the “culture war” between the political left and right and remain a polarizing force in the discourse. Republicans and conservatives are arguing that biological women should not be forced to compete with biological men because of the innate differences between them. In a recent development, The Kansas state legislature has passed a bill that would ban transgender students from competing against women in sports, according to Newsweek.
The legislation, called the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, overrides a veto by Democratic Governor Laura Kelly who was previously opposed to two other versions. Critics of the bill claim that because the legislation says that a physical examination will be enforced, then this will amount to an examination of children’s private parts.
The law will take effect on July 1. Although it does not allow biological males to compete in women’s sports, it does allow for teams to be mixed and for biological females to compete in men’s sports.
Pew Research data shows that the transgender issue is shaping up to be a divided issue between Americans. 38% of Americans reportedly believe that we have gone too far to accept transgender people, whereas 36% believe that society has not gone far enough.
House Majority Leader Chris Croft stated that the legislation was designed to protect women.
Republicans have made transgenderism and “gender-affirming” care an important issue, claiming that the life-altering surgeries will do irreversible damage to confused children. Former President Donald Trump released a video in February calling out the “gender insanity being pushed on our video,” and vowed to pass legislation that would ban the surgical practices in hospitals, according to American Pigeon.
In late January, Utah reportedly became the first state in the union to ban “gender-affirming” care for minors.
