Extremists in the Kansas legislature have introduced a staggering 12 anti-LGBTQ+ bills this legislative session. This week, they passed Senate Bill 180, the so-called “women’s bill of rights,” because they’re concerned about women’s rights.
Sound fishy? It should. It’s not about women’s rights. It’s about discriminating against trans people.
Sen. Renee Erickson, R-Wichita, introduced this bill that would require state agencies to define “women” and “men” based solely on their reproductive capabilities. In reality, SB 180 is just the latest effort to shock a small, shrinking and fearful electoral bloc by scapegoating an already vulnerable minority community of transgender people for political gain. Single-sex spaces aren’t in danger. This bill does nothing to protect women from discrimination truly affecting them, such as pay inequity, sexual violence or domestic violence.
The bill provides “a meaning of biological sex for purposes of statutory construction.” Does that sound like a women’s rights issue?
Under this mask of disingenuous paternalism, SB180 is one of the most extreme efforts yet to erase transgender people’s ability to even exist in modern society, prohibiting them from accessing bathrooms or locker rooms or having a driver’s license that matches their gender.
But Kansans aren’t asking for this. Instead, it’s national groups attacking the humanity of trans people that are driving this bill in Kansas and other states.
When Erickson’s fellow Wichita legislator Brenda Landwehr claimed this bill protects women’s rights, she sidestepped the bill’s real intention.
“Women have fought for over 50 years to gain certain rights in this country,” Landwehr was quoted as saying in a news report. “And these rights are being eroded. I really wish people would not take it that we’re targeting another group of people.”
Well, people are funny that way. They tend not to like being attacked for who they are.
On Tuesday, the bill cleared its final hurdle in the Kansas Senate and is now on Governor Kelly’s desk, with extremely small margins in both houses that point to possibly overriding Kelly’s expected veto.
Now, if Erickson, Landwehr and other extremist legislators really cared about women’s rights, they would not have tried to pass a constitutional amendment denying women bodily autonomy last summer.
If they really cared about women’s rights, they’d ensure Kansas women had the support they needed to thrive. Instead, they’ve proposed SB 180 — a bill that could lead to dozens of domestic violence and rape crisis programs in Kansas losing federal funding, as the executive director of the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence warned.
Proponents of this bait-and-switch claim they are advocating for women’s rights — and assume Kansans will take them at face value, without thinking critically about how this bill would actually secure or advance the rights of women. They assume Kansans won’t see the farce here, won’t make the connections to lawmakers’ entire raft of bills restricting access to gender-affirming care and limiting trans students’ rights in schools.
And, if Erickson, Landwehr and others really want to support gender equity, there’s a huge opportunity that has been available for the past 100 years.
Lawmakers originally drafted the Equal Rights Amendment (“ERA”), in 1923 — a measure that said, “equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.”
It passed Congress in 1972 but fell short of the three-fourths majority of states needed for ratification.
Kansas legislators can support the ERA if they’re truly serious about women’s rights.
But everyone — including those supporting SB 180 — understands that that won’t happen. Because there is a key word missing in the text of SB 180:
Equality.
Date
Saturday, April 8, 2023 - 3:30pm
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When the Kansas House Committee on Elections heard from the public on a bill limiting mail-in ballot collections, the will of Kansans could not have been more striking.
First, the committee heard from the one proponent who wanted to pass this restrictive bill—who joined through a video conference, representing a Florida-based think tank that routinely pushes voting restrictions in statehouses nationwide.
When she concluded and opponents of the bill got to speak, the committee heard from a dozen real Kansans, who took turns testifying against the bill. Collectively, they continuously reiterated that Kansans support safe, accessible elections.
They were right.
The popular vote is popular in Kansas.
The wave of Kansans who spoke against voting restrictions accurately represented the will of their neighbors; 70% of Kansans agree that voting should be easier, not harder.
The ACLU of Kansas recently conducted a survey to learn more about the will of Kansas voters. The study's results are clear: Kansans overwhelmingly support voting rights and bolstering our democracy.
Kansans know that voting is a fundamental Constitutional right. They also know that protecting voting rights is imperative to our democracy because free elections are the best way for voters to ensure accountability for elected officials.
This explains the fervor Kansans have for voting rights. Beyond 7-in-10 supporting making voting easier, over half of Kansans strongly agree in ensuring accessible voting. Additionally, when asked how much of a priority it was to make voting more accessible, over a third said it was a 9 or 10!
What divide? Kansas Republicans want accessible elections, too.
There’s a national narrative that making elections accessible is a partisan issue. At least in Kansas, voters aren’t supporting that.
Our poll found 51%—over half—of Kansas Republicans want to make it easier to vote in Kansas, not harder. Two-thirds (66%) believe our election officials need to take steps to protect the right to vote here in Kansas.
Not only do Kansas Republicans support protecting our democracy, but they’re also aligned on some of the most popular ways to do so.
Of Kansas Republicans polled, 7-in-10 supported increasing the number of polling locations across the state, while 66% want to ensure curbside voting is available at all polling locations.
This is a point of agreement among Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. Over two-thirds—a supermajority, if you will—of Republicans support these voting expansions, which aligns with the over 80% of Democrats and Independents who support these inclusive policies.
Prioritizing insight from communities of interest.
We ensured our polling represented all Kansans by oversampling specific communities whose voices can get drowned out in conventional polling methods.
This was doubly important because, historically, voting suppression has been directly aimed at disenfranchising voters of color. We then need to center those voices in understanding how to promote democracy.
Black and Hispanic voters were overwhelmingly supportive of policies that ensured voting access. Over 80% of these voters supported both increasing the number of polling locations and ensuring curbside voting was available for all locations. This includes 87% support from Black Kansans for both policies.
Both Black and Hispanic voters were more likely to prioritize voting access as well. Over 70% of both groups rated making voting more accessible as a 6 or higher out of 10. Nearly half (48%) of Hispanic voters rated it as a 9 or 10. Even more of Black voters—57%—rated it so highly.
Lawmakers have lost sight.
Let’s return to the scene at the capitol.
Ann Mah, a former Kansas representative, approaches the podium. She shares that she was a ranking member of the House Committee on Elections—the very committee for whom she was testifying.
She shares she was on the committee when House Bill 2158 passed in 2018, which allowed mailed ballots to be counted for three days after Election Day. That bill passed 40-0 in the Senate and 123-1 in the House. The bill being heard—HB 2056—would reverse these voting protections that were almost unanimously passed.
“At one time, everyone under this dome understood the importance of helping everyone vote.”
The ACLU of Kansas wants your voice to be REPRESENT!-ed.
Our democracy is under attack.
Despite their unpopularity, lawmakers are pushing bills that harm voting rights across the country, including three major bills here in Kansas just this session.
Encouragingly, Kansans are not only aligned on the importance of protecting voting rights, they also agree on some of the best ways to do so. Even more hopeful, they’re passionate about the protecting our democracy.
We want to create action that supports the will of these Kansans. That’s why we’re launching a multi-year, multi-faceted campaign called REPRESENT! Reclaiming Our Vote and Restoring Our Democracy.
Kansans know that the constitutional right to vote is the heart of our democracy, and free and fair elections uphold our system of governance. We want to support Kansans to live out these values in their communities and across the state.
To kick off this campaign, we’ll be traveling to communities across the state. Please join us when we’re near you:
—Wyandotte County, April 22
—Shawnee County, April 24
—Johnson County, May 2
—Ellis County, May 4
—Sedgwick County, May 16
Kansans are united on the importance of free elections for our democracy. We hope this campaign helps unite us on working to preserve this imperative right.
Date
Wednesday, April 19, 2023 - 10:45am
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REPRESENT! RECLAIMING OUR VOTE AND RESTORING OUR DEMOCRACY
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Our hard work is paying off for access to medical marijuana in Kansas.
On Wednesday, March 15, at 10:30 a.m., the Kansas Senate Fed and State Committee will hear a bill that would legalize medical marijuana in Kansas, and we need your voice.
But, there’s a problem–as it stands, SB 135 would not provide equitable medical marijuana access.
Let’s be clear. The criminalization of marijuana has caused untold damage to our communities, especially for Black Kansans. No one should face the fear of criminalization for using medicine. We deserve a clean medical marijuana bill that:
- Protects patients from discrimination
- Uses a tiered licensing system for more equitable access to enterprise
- Reinvests in the communities that have been devastated by the War on Drugs
To help, email your written testimony (in a PDF) by Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. to [email protected]. Be sure to introduce yourself and share why you support legalizing medical marijuana in Kansas. (Click here for the Fed and State Committee’s rules on submitting in-person or email testimony.)
This hearing will be exactly three weeks since our Medical Marijuana Day of Action, where Kansans packed the capitol in support of medicinal cannabis. A parade of speakers shared more on why we need to pass this bill.
Former U.S. District Attorney Barry Grissom shared how excessive marijuana policing saps resources from bettering our communities.
ACLU of Kansas Legal Director Sharon Brett described how marijuana laws open the door to constitutional concerns—including intense police practices, overcrowded county jails, and severe treatment in our court system.
We also heard from everyday Kansans on how medical marijuana could transform their lives.
Mary shared how her medical conditions cause her constant pain. When she tried marijuana treatment out-of-state, it was the only success she’s found to actually relieve the pain – not simply dull it – and give her back her life.
Mandy, a mother of three, talked about how she deals with punishing migraines for half of every week, but the relief she found from medical marijuana while in Missouri was like no other medication she’s tried. Access to it could be what allows her to regularly work at her family’s business, be present at school activities and family events, and otherwise show up for her kids.
Make your voice heard: Kansans need access to medical marijuana.
Help us pass medical marijuana in Kansas by submitting your written testimony to [email protected].
Getting this hearing is a major step in the process of passing this bill. If we can raise a united voice showing this committee the widespread support in the state, we can propel this proposal over the finish line. I hope you’ll help in this historic moment.
Date
Thursday, March 9, 2023 - 5:15pm
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