Kansas lawmakers could override veto of ban on gender-affirming care

"This bill attacks parents' rights to access life-saving healthcare for their kids and threatens Kansas medical providers. And it is written so broadly, it could impact spaces like schools, therapist offices, or state agencies like the Kansas Department of Children and Families," said D.C. Hiegert.

Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youths, saying it "tramples parental rights." Will Republicans override her? January File Photo/The Capital-Journal

Kansas Legislature Bans Trans Kids From Accessing Gender-Affirming Care | Truthout

“This bill places politicians’ feelings above the expert medical advice of hundreds of thousands of doctors, and strips patients and families of their ability to make informed healthcare decisions,” the ACLU of Kansas said in a letter to the Senate in opposition of the bill in February.

Kansas House Speaker Daniel Hawkins, left, and Senate President Ty Masterson speak before the State of the State address at the Kansas State Capital on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, in Topeka, Kansas. Emily Curiel / the Kansas City Star / Tribune News Service

PolitiFact | What is ‘sex’? What is ‘gender’? How these terms changed and why states now want to define them

Scientific and legal interpretations of these words have evolved considerably in the past century. Today, medical experts understand biological sex assigned at birth as more complex and consider it distinct from gender identity.

Transgender rights advocates rally at the Kansas capitol, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024. In 2023, the state enacted a measure that says there are two sexes, male and female, based on a person’s “biological reproductive system" at birth. (AP)

ACLU files notice of appeal over gender marker changes on Kansas driver’s licenses

The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas announced Thursday that it was appealing a judge’s order blocking Kansas’ Democratic Governor Laura Kelly’s administration from allowing transgender people to change the sex listed on their license.

Thumbnail of Newscast, graphic reads, "Kansas Capitol Bureau"

ACLU appeals Kansas judge's order banning gender marker changes on IDs

The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas announced Thursday that it was appealing a judge’s order blocking Kansas’ Democratic Governor Laura Kelly’s administration from allowing transgender people to change the sex listed on their license.

ACLU of Kansas attorney D.C. Hiegert has testified against anti-transgender bills in the Legislature and has worked on an ongoing lawsuit about gender marker changes on state-issued IDs. Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal

Training session in Lawrence to educate about LGBTQ+ storytelling – The Lawrence Times

Training session in Lawrence to educate about LGBTQ+ storytelling – The Lawrence Times“Free speech and expression, especially political protest, are fundamental to our democracy, and police cannot have the power to selectively arrest anyone for speech they disagree with or are angered by. We are glad to see the Court agreed,” Legal Director Sharon Brett said in an email statement.

August Rudisell/Lawrence Times Loud Light, ACLU of Kansas and Equality Kansas will hold a free training session on LGBTQ+ storytelling and narratives, set for Monday, March 18, 2024 at Art Love Collective, 646 Vermont St. in downtown Lawrence.

‘Hungry for control’: Kansas House advances ban on gender-affirming care for trans minors • Kansas Reflector

Senate Bill 233 bans health care professionals from using surgery or puberty blockers to treat transgender children. Despite Republican lawmakers’ claims that puberty blockers and hormone therapy are unsafe, the same therapy will be allowed for cisgender children.

Activist Jae Moyer holds up a sign protesting new legislation that would restrict access to gender-affirming care in the state. (Rachel Mipro/Kansas Reflector)

‘An attack:’ Kansas lawmakers advance ban on gender affirming care for trans minors

Kansas Republicans advanced a sweeping bill Tuesday banning hormone therapy and gender transition surgeries in minors, the latest in a multi-year effort on the right to regulate the lives of transgender Kansans. Lawmakers will take a final vote on the bill Wednesday. It will then move to the Senate.

Katie Bernard/The Kansas City Star

Kansas judge says barring driver's license changes doesn't violate rights

A Kansas judge ruled Monday that the state isn't violating transgender residents' rights under the state constitution by refusing to change their driver's licenses to reflect their gender identities.

Video Thumbnail of Kris Kobach