Athlete Ally Responds to KS Anti-Trans Athlete Bill
April 5, 2023 — Athlete Ally responded today to news that Kansas has become the 20th state to ban transgender girls and women from playing sports after the Legislature overrode Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto. The bill (KS HB 2238), which goes into effect July 1, will ban trans girls and women from kindergarten through college. This comes just one day after Kansas’ Republican-led Legislature passed a bill imposing some of the harshest bathroom restrictions in the country, and banning transgender people from changing the name or gender on their driver’s licenses.
This misguided and discriminatory decision by Kansas lawmakers goes against extensive research and ignores what we know to be the actual threats to women’s sports: unequal pay, rampant sexual abuse and harassment, lack of women in leadership and inequities in resources for women athletes.
“We are deeply disappointed to see Kansas politicians succumb to political pressure rather than acting in the best interest of their constituents,” said Anne Lieberman, Athlete Ally’s Director of Policy and Programs. “This bill is a part of the nationwide, concentrated effort to erase trans people from public life. Transgender young people in Kansas – and everywhere – deserve to benefit from the lifesaving power of sports. We are grateful to all the advocates on the ground in Kansas who join us in the fight for all trans people to be safe, welcome and included in all areas of life, including in sport.”