Allies needed: Protect parents' and educators' rights to support trans youth
Parents rights are stripped and teachers, school counselors, and other professionals could face consequences for supporting trans youth under SB 233.
Multiple Bills Vetoed
The Governor has vetoed two bills we’ve been fighting against this session.
Watch for a future newsletter highlighting ways to take action to help sustain the Governor’s veto of the reproductive rights bill (HB 2749).
Today’s newsletter provides multiple options for taking action to help sustain the governor’s veto of the harmful transgender bill (SB 233). Below, you will find:
Link to send emails
Link to participate in a phone bank
Instructions for sending a handwritten note or two to specific legislators
Allies needed
As I’ve expressed before, families of transgender youth need some allies in this fight and so do the many professionals who provide support to transgender youth, including educators.
SB 233 Vetoed by Governor Kelly
We all want what’s best for our children, and families with transgender youth are no different. No parent should be denied the freedom to do what’s best for their family, and that includes helping their transgender youth access the medically approved care that is right for them.
Bill SB 233 is one of the most harmful and far-reaching anti-transgender laws in our nation. It impacts parental rights and broadly limits state employees' ability to serve Kansas children. This bill:
Takes away parents’ rights to make decisions about their children’s healthcare: it would ban access and state funding to all medically necessary healthcare for trans Kansans under the age of 18—healthcare that is approved by all major medical associations.
Could punish public employees, including teachers, mental health therapists, and school counselors for supporting their transgender students and patients.
Could threaten medical providers with license revocation and liability lawsuits, hindering their ability to offer essential health care.
The Governor’s statement on her veto of SB 233:
“This divisive legislation targets a small group of Kansans by placing government mandates on them and dictating to parents how to best raise and care for their children. I do not believe that is a conservative value, and it’s certainly not a Kansas value.”
“To be clear, this legislation tramples parental rights.”
“The last place that I would want to be as a politician is between a parent and a child who needed medical care of any kind. And, yet, that is exactly what this legislation does.”
“If the legislature paid this much attention to the other 99.8% of students, we’d have the best schools on earth.”
SB 233’s impact on educators
The bill is written extremely broadly—such that it could have significant additional harmful consequence beyond gender affirming healthcare. It bans public employees from “providing, promoting or advocating” for students to “social transition” which is defined as non-medical acts "that are undertaken for the purpose of presenting as a member of the opposite sex, including the changing of an individual's preferred pronouns or manner of dress.”
This ban would be in effect regardless of the wishes of the child or their parents or guardians. It places educators at every level under the threat of violation of law for providing a safe and welcoming environment for their trans students.
Do you work in a public school or know someone who does?
This bill could impact teachers, administrators, school counselors, nurses, or really anyone who supports students in our schools.
If this is you or someone you know, please use this link to share your email address so we can reach out with an initiative specific to educators.
Opportunities for everyone to TAKE ACTION
Below are some links (sponsored by a coalition of advocacy groups) for sustaining the veto:
Easy link to email legislators (you may have to scroll up in the link to see the full details)
Participate in the April 23rd Phone Bank
Handwritten Note (see below)
Handwritten Note(s) to specific legislators by mail
We think a pile of handwritten notes for certain legislators when they return to Topeka could be impactful. We are reaching out to legislators who are believed to be persuadable based on their past voting records on similar bills or for other reasons.
In Johnson County? Send a note to:
Rep. Laura Williams. Some believe seeing a large amount of support could be especially impactful for her. Let’s have anyone in JoCo send her a note.
Senator Rob Olson or Representative John Resman, if they represent you.
Outside of Johnson County? Note the legislators in Wichita, Topeka, Manhattan, Emporia, and other areas of that state. If you are represented by one of these legislators or live in their city, send them a note.
Of course, if you really like writing notes and you don’t mind the postage, feel free to send a note to any of the persuadable legislators on the list. Take note of the legislators in bold and marked with an asterisk.
See the Instructions Section for more details on the handwritten notes.
Persuadable Representatives
Find your STATE LEVEL legislators at openstates.org. Enter your FULL address. Senator = UPPER and Representative = LOWER
If you legislator is on the list, or if you live in a district near one of these legislators, send them a note.
Quick interruption before we get to the INSTRUCTIONS
Do you live in, know anyone who lives in, or live near these Kansas towns in Butler County?
Augusta
Andover
Rose Hill
Douglas (the city, not the county)
Voters in this area have an important state race that will be decided in the August primary. This race has a big impact on public education, impacting us all. We need help spreading the word since so many voters skip primaries. Please answer this super quick survey and I’ll reach out with more information. Thank you!
Instructions for handwritten notes
Choose your own material to mail—postcard, note card, stationery
Write a polite note asking the legislators to sustain the governor’s veto of SB 233
Use your own wording based on information above, or see sample wording below
Mail by Saturday, April 20 preferably; ideally, notes should arrive before they begin override votes, which could be as early as Friday, April 26
Address the note(s) as follows:
Representative [First & Last Name] orSenator [First & Last Name]
Kansas State Capitol
300 SW 10th St.
Topeka, KS 66612
Messaging for Notes
Feel free to keep it short and simple; be polite
Greeting example: Dear Representative Williams,
Use your own wording based on information above, or
Mix & Match using the suggestions below for the opening, body, and closing
If you are a constituent, mention that in your opening or closing
Sign your name. City is optional, but be sure to add it if you are in the legislators district (or in the same city or nearby)
OPENING EXAMPLES
As a Kansas resident, I’m writing you with concern about the passage of SB 233.
I am writing about my great concern for SB 233, which limits every Kansas employee from providing affirming care for our trans youth.
I’m writing to ask that you please support Governor Kelly’s veto of bill SB 233.
I urge you to sustain the governor’s veto of SB 233
TALKING POINTS FOR THE BODY OF THE NOTE
I do not believe that the government should be involved in healthcare decisions. This bill removes the rights of parents, teachers, counselors, and even medical personnel from serving the needs of trans youth in our state.
Every major medical association advocates against bills like SB 233, which is one of my biggest reasons for writing to you today.
This bill removes the rights of parents, counselors, teachers, and healthcare providers to provide care for trans youth.
Anytime I read about politicians getting involved in healthcare decisions, I am alarmed, and that’s exactly what is happening with this bill.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association both stand against SB 233. This bill takes medically approved gender-affirming care away from parents who, like all of us, want to do what is best for our children.
This bill puts educators and school counselors in a difficult position. They understand that students learn best in environments where they feel supported and welcomed. SB 233 prevents them from fully supporting their students.
We all want what’s best for our children, and families with transgender youth are no different.
No parent should be denied the freedom to do what’s best for their family, and that includes helping their transgender youth access the medically approved care that is right for them.
Every family wants what’s best for their children, and families who love and accept their transgender youth are no different.
These dangerous efforts to control our families threaten the wellbeing of our children and the ability of every family to determine what’s best for their child.
CLOSING EXAMPLES
Kansas families should have the freedom to support their children’s medical needs, without the involvement of politicians. I urge you to support Governor Kelly’s veto of this dangerous bill. Thank you, ______”
That’s why I am respectfully requesting you to support Gov Kelly’s veto of SB 233. Thank you so much for your consideration. Respectfully, ________
Kansas needs to be a state that follows evidence-based, science-supported care, not political whims. Thank you for supporting Governor Kelly’s veto of SB233. Respectfully, _______”
It is important that Kansas supports ALL children in our state, which is why I’m writing to ask you to vote against the passage of SB 223. Respectfully, _____”