They might as well document into a neighborhood high school and line the hallways when the state’s three charges, which are scheduled for passage on Thursday, are discussed by the state’s governors. They may cry insults and put arms at besieged LGBTQ+ children trying to make their way through the day from their posts, leaning brazenly against lockers.
They are abusing our colleague Kansans.
Legislators would be subject to discipline and perhaps suspension if they really behaved that way in high school. They did, however, rejoice in news media coverage and act as though they are defending one from a plot. You are aware of this in the same way a bully in high school “protects” a goal in P. E. school by kicking them to the ground.
These legislators may declare their concern for gender-affirming treatment for those under the age of 18. The truth is that they do n’t rip about the rules for gender-affirming care. If they did, they would pay attention to the numerous health authorities, transgender people, and families who explain the saving value of this remedy.
According to Mark Del Monte, CEO of the American Academy of Pediatrics, his organization wants to ensure that young people receive the sexual and gender-affirming care they need and are seen, heard, and valued as they are.
Ignore the opinion of experts. Children who appear and act in a different way are being harassed and excluded by these lawmakers.
No matter what their age, they are jerks.
Look north.
Where does this dearth of fundamental human dignity result? You only need to consider Oklahoma, our southwestern cousin, to understand the implications. That, 16-year-old Nex Benedict passed away the following evening from an encounter with bullies. Let’s face it: A student should n’t have to die to stop bullying, so families and concerned parties across the country are anxious to find out what caused Nex’s death.
On Sunday, people all over the country held rallies for Benedict, including in Lawrence, where I live.
In the fall of 1998, I attended yet another ceremony in Lawrence a little over a quarter century ago. Matthew Shepard, a queer college student killed in Wyoming, was the victim of that one.
I would like to see people who wanted to live freely as themselves stop holding rallies for them.
The Benedicts “pray for substantial change wherein abuse is taken seriously and no home has to deal with another avoidable tragedy,” the family told ABC News on Wednesday through their lawyer.” The Benedicts know all too well the damaging effects of bullying and school violence.
The Kansas Statehouse has spent centuries debating the rights of transgender people. The freedom of LGBTQ+ individuals have been up for debate on a national level for decades. The subjects are certainly novel, and it’s not difficult to find answers to frequently asked questions.
Legislators may engage in conversations with an real transgender people as well. Rep. Stephanie Byers served as the country’s first trans elected official and served in the Kansas House from 2021 to 2022. People who identify as LGBT visit the Statehouse frequently to speak and share their experiences. ( A few journalists might also be active in the community. ) Only a quick note.
All you need to do is speak to one of these people and inquire about their life.
Respecting other people’s integrity is all you need to accomplish.
Politicians have had enough opportunities to learn the fundamentals. They do n’t already know those fundamentals because they do n’t want to. They do so because they want to become a drunk. They do so because they value being a drunk more than representing their components, who, I can assure you, include trans people in every senator in the Kansas Statehouse.
Skins that are slender
In the interim, Kansas officials have shown the finest of coats when responding to criticism of their positions.
Despite the absence of any state laws requiring them to do so, Attorney General Kris Kobach has urged schools to outlaw transgender students from their parents. Dion Lefler, the director of the Wichita Eagle, wrote a burning column in support of Kobach’s impeachment. As if Kobach had n’t previously released a press release outlining his steps to journalists all over the state, he then wrote his own part for the report.
Trans children are not the victims, as you see. Obviously, Kobach is.
After native PBS facilities broadcast” No Place Like Home: The Struggle Against Hate in Kansas” from Academy Award winner Kevin Willmott, state senator Caryn Tyson called for the end of all funding for public broadcast. The film, which is based on a book by former Kansas Reflector opinion writer CJ Janovy, shows self-righteous remarks made by state senator Renee Erickson, who opposed a law prohibiting trans girls and women from competing in athletics.
Tyson claimed that the plan had crossed a line and that” we have the nail, and I’m going to jump this nail in a big way.”
Erickson asserted only last year that she was the real target in transgender rights debates:” I’ve heard a lot of, very frankly, aggressive complaints and name-calling. We claim that abuse is not our style. Bullying is characterized by name-calling. True to those who despise the reality, it sounds like love.
These adults do n’t just want to harm children with impunity.
When they do so, they want to be protected from people criticism.
Our elected officials may not be as much as Oklahoma state senator Tom Wood, who last year called the LGBTQ+ group “filthy,” but their sympathies are obvious enough. I’ve lived long much and heard enough about the bullying hearts that beat in their chests from presumably noble officials.
Salutations, Tom
There are many motives I write this paragraph. Of course, the main reason is the Thursday sessions. Another example of Kobach’s, Tyson’s, and Erickson’s duplicity Oklahoma’s condition was yet another.
However, now I heard a different voice in my mind. As I watched Willmott’s video, I was reminded of Tom Witt, a former Equality Kansas executive chairman. Up until his retirement in 2022, Witt was a pervasive and powerful advocate for LGBTQ+ right at the Statehouse.
When it came to politicians acting poorly, he always minced terms.
According to Witt during the evidence that was shown in the movie,” the abuse I’m going to talk about now is legislative bullying.” This is n’t about who can shoot the highest basket, but rather the bills that say you’re less than. It’s not about who may serve the best tennis. It’s not about who wins the 100-yard run here. This Government has seen years of hostility toward Gay people.
” And yet again, the goal has been kids for the past six years. Truly, this needs to end.
Good day, Tom.
Fair-minded politicians, activists, and the general public are eager to see the job. It does n’t stop. However, I never doubt the goal.
You see, LGBTQ+ persons still survive. And we are still thinking. We carry the thoughts of fallen figures like Matthew Shepherd and Nex Benedict with us as we advance. We are in memory of those who called us “filth” and picketed our funerals, as well as every nasty remark hurled at us by those who despise change. We are able to identify the officials who cheated on us and our loved ones. We even remember those who have stayed by and supported us during challenging times.
We endure. We are successful. We raise people. We make a difference in areas.
And when vicious officials scramble for votes in ten or twenty years hoping that we’ve forgiven and forgotten, they’ll learn the value of sacrificing LGBTQ+ people for political gain.
” Flut” does n’t forget.
Clay Wirestone is the director of the Kansas Reflector’s mind. Through its mind area, Kansas Reflector seeks to amplify the voices of those who are impacted by common policies or are not included in public discussion. Get details here, as well as instructions on how to write your own remark.
