Kansas governor vetoes bills that would have banned transgender athletes from competing in girls’ sports

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a proposal on Friday that would have banned transgender athletes from girls’ sports and another that would have required schools to let parents challenge classroom curriculum, a measure she has called a “teacher demoralization act.”

“Both Republican and Democratic Governors have joined me in vetoing similar divisive bills for the same reasons: it’s harmful to students and their families and it’s bad for business,” Kelly said.

“We all want a fair and safe place for our kids to play and compete. However, this bill didn’t come from the experts at our schools, our athletes, or the Kansas State High School Activities Association. It came from politicians trying to score political points.”

Republicans vowed to launch an override effort in the coming weeks. “The Fairness in Women’s Sports Act is about just that, fairness,” said GOP Senate President Ty Masterson. “It simply sets guidelines that ensure the fair playing field continues for women that we have recognized for decades.”

“It’s about protecting the women who worked and trained all her life and should not have her hard work wiped out by being forced to compete on unlevel playing fields,” Masterson went onto say. Kansas GOP lawmakers cited the case of champion NCAA swimmer Lia Thomas as evidence.

Republicans immediately strived to make the vetoes a campaign liability for Kelly, who won the governorship in 2018 with just 48 percent of the vote in the purple state.

“Dems in Kansas are determined to find out the hard way what Dems in Virginia learned: voters don’t elect candidates who tell parents they don’t matter,” tweeted Joanna Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the Republican Governors Association.

Republican Glenn Youngkin won in the Virginia gubernatorial race last year on a platform touting parental rights in education.