Kansas legislature passes transgender bathroom bill by enough to override veto

Both the Kansas state Senate and House of Representatives have passed a bill that would prohibit transgender people from using public bathrooms and changing their name or gender on their driver’s license. The legislation passed with enough votes to override a veto if needed.

The Senate passed the bill with a 28-12 vote, sending it to the desk of Governor Laura Kelly, who is expected to veto the bill. However, the Senate passed the bill with one vote more than the two-thirds majority required to override a veto. The House passed its own version of the bill last week.

The bill declares “sex” to refer to “biological” sex, meaning male or female at birth, and defines men and women based on their reproductive system. The lawmakers aim to protect families concerned about cases of biological men who identify as women using facilities designed for biological girls and women.

Seven other states have passed similar laws banning transgender students from using school bathrooms and locker rooms based on their gender identity. However, the Kansas measure extends even further, covering facilities such as prisons, jails, and domestic violence shelters where separate facilities for men and women are required for safety or privacy reasons.

Kentucky has recently passed a transgender youth bill that addresses several issues related to transgender youth, including bathroom use and pronoun usage at school.