The Kansas Senate passed a bill on Thursday that would bar biological men from competing in women’s athletics.
In a 28-11-1 vote, the state senate approved the “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act,” sponsored by the Committee on Education, which would require that K-12 public school sports teams and college athletics be separated on the basis of biological sex rather than gender identity. The bill cleared the state house in February in a 82-40 vote and now heads to Democratic Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly’s desk. (RELATED: West Virginia Asks Supreme Court To Reverse Block On Its Law Protecting Women’s Sports)
“The Fairness in Women’s Sports Act is meant to protect Title IX’s intention and ensure fair play in sports for our daughters and granddaughters,” Republican state Rep. Barb Wasinger, a sponsor of the legislation, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Title IX was designed to stop discrimination and create equal athletic opportunities for women. This bill ensures we’re not moving backwards on 50 years of advances for female athletes.”
Kelly has vetoed the legislation after it has made it to her desk the past two years, according to KMBC News. This is the first year, however, that the act has enough support from the state Senate and House to override Kelly’s veto.
Members of the Concord-Carlisle high school team celebrate after winning the Girls’ Sprint Medley Relay during the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix at Reggie Lewis Center on February 14, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
“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 before vetoing the legislation in 2022, according to KMBC News.
Red states across the country, such as Texas, Ohio and Nebraska, are pushing similar legislation that would keep women’s sports specific to biological women. Republican Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville introduced a piece of legislation to the U.S. Senate which would mandate that sports nationwide are separated on the basis of biological sex rather than gender identity.
Kelly’s office and the Committee on Education did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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