Page 3 - aruba-today-20230216

A3
U.S. NEWS Thursday 16 February 2023
States’ push to define sex decried as erasing trans people

By JOHN HANNA tity can miss biological nu- kota lawmakers are con- “developed to fertilize the choose to live.”
AP Political Writer ances. sidering a resolution that ova.” In North Dakota, Repub-
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — LGBTQ-rights advocates would urge public schools It’s not clear how far the lican state Rep. SuAnn
Adam Kellogg was a nerdy say having a driver’s license and other “public entities” measure will go, though Olson decried what she
16-year-old preparing to called “radical gender
board a flight from Kansas ideologues” and said they
City to Florida for a space want to redefine woman-
and science camp trip to hood as a subjective state.
Cape Canaveral when In Kansas, conservative ac-
security held him up for 30 tivist and Statehouse lob-
minutes because his driv- byist Phillip Cosby called
er’s license identified him young people’s increased
as female. identity as transgender or
Three years later, the Uni- nonbinary “a social conta-
versity of Kansas student’s gion.”
driver’s license identifies Dr. Kristyn Brandi, a fellow
him as male, but legisla- with the American College
tive proposals in at least of Obstetricians and Gyne-
eight states could prevent cologists, said she doesn’t
transgender people like automatically assume fe-
him from changing their male reproductive anato-
driver’s licenses and birth my means female gender.
certificates. The Repub- “It’s helpful to know what
lican-controlled Kansas anatomical structures are
Legislature is considering a present when I’m doing an
bill that would define male exam, when I’m recom-
and female in state law mending tests,” she said. “I
and base people’s legal often ask my patient, how
gender identities on their Adam Kellogg, center, a University of Kansas student and transgender man, follows a Kansas do they like to be identi-
anatomy at birth. Senate health committee hearing on legislation aimed at preventing gender-affirming care for fied? And I go with that.’’
Nationally, conservatives minors, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. Associated Press Brandi also said proclaim-
are pushing dozens of pro- ing that sex is binary ignores
posals in statehouses to re- that intersex conditions and
strict transgender athletes, or birth certificate confirm to distinguish “between the state Senate commit- differences in gender iden-
gender-affirming care and a transgender person’s the sexes according to bio- tee could vote on it next tity exist.
drag shows. But in mea- identity is important by itself logical sex at birth.” Missis- week. Democratic Gov. At birth, external genital
sures like Kansas’, LGBTQ- but also can prevent daily sippi lawmakers had three Laura Kelly twice vetoed anatomy can be ambigu-
rights advocates see a hassles or harassment. They proposals like Kansas’, but bills to ban transgender ous, sometimes because
new, sweeping effort to believe Kansas’ bill also none advanced this year. athletes from girls’ and of differences in sex devel-
erase trans people’s legal would prevent transgen- New Hampshire, Tennessee women’s club, K-12 and opment, or intersex condi-
existence, deny recogni- der people from using re- and Texas also have pro- college sports, and she op- tions, which affect about
tion to nonbinary or gen- strooms and other facilities posals to define male and poses restricting gender af- 1% of the population.
der-fluid people and ig- aligned with their gender female in state law, and firming care. Intersex conditions can in-

nore those who are intersex identities. a Republican lawmaker Supporters of the Kansas volve external genitals that
people born with genitalia, Republicans have put trans- in South Carolina has pro- bill contend that they’re don’t match a person’s
reproductive organs, chro- gender issues at the center posed an amendment responding to parents and sex chromosomes. In one
mosomes and/or hormone of their agenda, a tactic to the state’s constitution others who are uncomfort- condition, testes develop
levels that don’t fit typical that many observers see as to declare that legally, a able with “biological men” internally but external geni-
definitions for male or fe- an effort to keep conserva- person’s gender would be or “biological boys” sharing tals and breasts appear fe-
male. tive voters energized and based on anatomy at birth, spaces meant for women male.
“Something that’s really im- to push voters sympathetic not a “psychological, cho- and girls especially bath- These babies are usually as-
portant for me is being able to Democrats on other is- sen, or subjective experi- rooms and locker rooms signed female at birth, but
to just simply exist as a man, sues into the GOP camp. In ence of gender.” but also prisons and do- their bodies will never pro-
not even think about it,” the Republican response to “They’re afraid of what mestic violence shelters. duce eggs.
Kellogg said this week while President Joe Biden’s State they don’t understand,” They also are trying to frame “There’s variation,’’ Brandi
visiting the Statehouse with of the Union address, Ar- said Luc Bensimon, a trans- the debate as protecting said. “Not everyone fits into
other transgender people kansas Gov. Sarah Hucka- gender man who serves on the rights of “biological” this exact box.’’
and LGBTQ advocates. bee Sanders derided the Topeka’s anti-discrimina- women, and the Kansas bill Jae Moyer, a Kansas City-
Kellogg laughs now about Democratic president as tion commission and is an is called, “The Women’s Bill area activist, has a driver’s
his experience at the air- “the first man to surrender activist for the Black Trans of Rights.” license and birth certificate
port, but it was no laughing his presidency to a woke Advocacy Coalition. “Any- In Kansas, Republican state identifying them as male,
matter at the time. Back mob that can’t even tell thing or any lifestyle that Sen. Renee Erickson, the although they identify as
then, he bound the breasts you what a woman is.” is different or outside the Senate health commit- nonbinary.
that he’d later have surgi- The Kansas bill had a hear- norm, they’re not OK.” tee’s vice chair, asked it The Kansas measure feels
cally removed and, “They ing Wednesday before The Kansas measure would to sponsor the measure. A designed to force them
thought I had a bomb the state Senate’s health declare that legally, “sex” former college basketball into “molds that I personally
strapped to me.” committee and is similar to means “biological” sex, player, she has also led the don’t fit into.”
Doctors say reproductive a Republican measure in- “either male or female, at push to restrict transgender “They want to make sure
anatomy at birth doesn’t troduced in the U.S. House birth.” It says females have athletes. She said defining that they’re taking every
always align with strict defi- last year. Oklahoma’s Leg- a reproductive system “de- male and female in state avenue possible to just
nitions of sex and that bi- islature is weighing a similar veloped to produce ova,” law would not prevent any- erase who I am as a per-
nary views of sexual iden- proposal, while North Da- while males have one one from “living how they son,” Moyer said.q