Kansas legislature passes bill to redefine gender as a person’s biological sex at birth

Senate Bill 244 as listed from the Kansas Legislature.

Last Wednesday, the Kansas Senate voted 30-9 to pass a bill to amend the definition of gender to mean biological sex at birth.

“I want to talk about policies and procedures and what’s fair and what’s definitely not fair. And this bill is not fair,” said Rep. Dan Osman, democrat. “Procedurally, it is the absolute worst bill I have heard in my time in the Kansas legislature.”

Under House Substitute for Senate Bill 244, driver’s licenses and birth certificates must match a person’s assigned sex at birth and not their gender identity. If the gender does not match the sex at birth on these forms of identification, they will be invalidated.

This bill also requires multiple occupancy private spaces in public buildings to be used by the same sex. This means bathrooms, changing rooms, and other spaces will be legally designated to the user’s assigned sex at birth.

“Regardless of what actually happens, just in general there’s going to be an increase of anxiety around how people are perceiving you in public,” said Isaac Thomas, political chair at Trans Lawrence Coalition. “Maybe avoidance of using specific facilities in public, just overall not very good for the mental health of transgender non-conforming adults.”

The substitute bill passed the Kansas House with a vote of 87-36 before passing the Senate. The bill awaits signature by Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, who has 10 days after the bill passes the Senate to make a decision.

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