Tall Tales from Kansas

I am ashamed to call myself a Kansan today. Disgusted by what our state representatives and senators have done. The Kansas legislature overturned the veto by our governor, of legislation requiring drivers licenses and identification cards to “reflect sex at birth”. This immediately made it illegal for a trans person to operate a motor vehicle. This leaves a population of humans unable to get to work, to vote, to travel… and basically do anything that requires an ID. Also included in this bill is legislation forcing individuals to use the bathrooms in public buildings that matches their gender at birth. Kris Kobach, the Kansas attorney general, and republican lawmakers have led this push for “law enforcement and medical purposes” as well as “protecting women and girls” specifically in relation to the bathroom issue. The language in this bill also authorizes anyone to sue anybody they suspect of being transgender for using the “wrong” restroom in public buildings. What kind of a cockamamy idea is that? Pitting individuals against each other because they don’t fit someone’s idea of what they should look like?

The ACLU has filed a lawsuit on behalf of transgender residents calling it a “direct attack on the dignity and humanity of transgender Kansans”. Am I wrong to expect more of people in leadership positions? I have made a donation to the ACLU and let Kris Kobach know what I think of this particularly cruel form of jackassery.

If we really wanted to protect women and girls, we would be investigating and holding to account all of the sex offenders and pedophiles named in the Epstein files. Enough is enough already. In the words of my dad I really “have my dander up” about this. He is right. There is no fury like the fury of a moss sister who see’s injustice and has reached a breaking point. At the same time, I want my better self to step up and take the reins when I am so angry I want to spit (and much more).

Hang tough friends. I want to believe we can get through this.