For now, Iowa Safe Schools is focusing on providing support and resources for young transgender Iowans reeling from the effects of the law.
The case in Kansas
Toward the tail end of the 2022 legislative session in Kansas this spring, Republican senators in support of Senate Bill 160 could not muster enough votes to overcome Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto. The measure would have banned transgender girls and women from competing on girls’ and women’s sports teams.
“It’s not that there are more trans people, but as the world’s become more accepting more trans people are willing to live their lives out loud.”
“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.”
Sen. Mark Steffen, a Hutchinson Republican, summed up his support of the measure in a letter to the Senate Education Committee:
“From the differences in height and weight, to the differences in muscle mass, cardiac output, and oxygen carrying capacity (to name just a few), males have a competitive advantage over females that precludes fair competition in sports,” wrote Steffen, who is also a physician.
But, the notion of competitive advantage fueled by testosterone is false, according to a range of scientific and medical experts. Continue reading “After all, Thompson said, one does not have to be an athlete or a transgender female to feel the impact”