Do You Want Your Genitals Inspected
By Strangers in the Bathroom?
That's exactly what could happen if Kansas lawmakers override Governor Kelly's veto of
SB 244. (Oh and it's REALLY bad for taxpayers and business owners.)
Wait, what?!
"It would not only be the first bathroom bounty law to target transgender people directly, but also the first to extend a bathroom ban into private spaces—effectively creating the nation’s first private bathroom ban if enacted by empowering bounty hunters to search for trans people in bathrooms." (Thank you Erin in the Morning for your steadfast reporting.)
How does this affect me?
If you're like 99% percent of people in Kansas, you're what's called cisgender. And no, that's not a dirty word. It's from the Latin prefix cis- ("on this side of") combined with "gender," describing someone whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth. Probably a better moniker than homogender, right?
So while this bill is directly harmful to trans people who just want to pee in peace, it's actually really harmful for everyone else as well. Why? Let me explain:
Consider the following scenarios*:
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You're a woman or man or man who doesn't "look" the part. Take me for example. I'm 5' 10", weight 180 pounds, and wear a size 13 women's shoe (11 mens). I have been "accused" of being trans, simply for my size. What about an unusually short man? Or a woman with PCOS who has some facial stubble? Or a man with long hair? There are many situations in which your gender might be called into question. Do you really want the "pee police" interfering with your basic human need to empty your bladder or bowels?
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You're at a concert with a very long line for the women's bathroom, nobody in the men's, and you gotta go NOW. A toilet is a toilet is a toilet, and when you're desperate, you do not care about the sign on the door--it beats peeing on the floor. But hold on! Now you need to worry about being hauled to jail or taken to court if someone feels offended by your cross-peeing practices.
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You simply accidentally walk into the wrong bathroom. I've done it before. Went into a stall. Peed. Walked out to find a man washing his hands at the sink. Oops. What was an embarrassing and silly accident could now be grounds for jail or a lawsuit.
*The bill's language includes a WIDE variety of possible exceptions, but but no real ways to ensure safety against "sex verification demands" in the moment.
Who's Behind This?
Meet the Pee Patrol Amigos
Long story short, these three spearheaded the gut and go, and pushing it through the vote as fast as possible.
Meet the Poo Crew
Of course, they couldn't do it alone. Here's all of the legislators who voted "Yea." They looked at a rushed-through, ill-conceived, anti-taxpayer, anti-business, anti-humans rights piece of legislation, and without hesitation or public input, signed ALL Kansans up for this. Click here for a spreadsheet with their contact info.
Avery Anderson
Francis Awerkamp
Bradley Barrett
Brian Bergkamp
Emil Bergquist
Doug Blex
Lewis "Bill" Bloom Lauren Bohi
Jesse Borjon
Sherri Brantley
Steve Brunk
Ron Bryce
David Buehler
Nathan Butler
Carolyn Caiharr
Blake Carpenter
Will Carpenter
Shawn Chauncey
Kenneth Collins
Ken Corbet
Chris Croft
Leo Delperdang
Duane Droge
Ronald Ellis
Charlotte Esau
Robyn Essex
Susan Estes
Brett Fairchild
Shannon Francis
Fred Gardner
Dan Goddard
Jason W. Goetz
Dan Hawkins
Dale Helwig
Kyle Hoffman
Nick Hoheisel
Steven K. Howe
Leah Howell
Cyndi Howerton
Steve Huebert
Susan Humphries
Rick James
Timothy Johnson
Tom Kessler
Mike King
Bob Lewis
Marty Long
Kyle McNorton
Jim Minnix
Lisa Moser
Lance W. Neelly
Sandy Pickert
Lon Pishny
Samantha Poetter Parshall
Pat Proctor
Ken Rahjes
Allen Reavis
John Resman
Bill Rhiley
Angel Roeser
Webster T. Roth
Clarke Sanders
Courtney Sappington
Rebecca Schmoe
Kevin Schwertfeger
Joe Seiwert
Adam Smith
Chuck Smith
Megan Steele
Angela Stiens
William Sutton
Kyler Sweely
Sean Tarwater
Adam Turk
Carl Turner
Chip VanHouden
Paul Waggoner
Jill Ward
Barb Wasinger
Troy Waymaster
Gary White
Rick Wilborn
Sean Willcott
Kristey Williams
Laura Williams
Greg Wilson
Dawn Wolf
Common Sense Questions:
01.
How will this be enforced?
No clue. The person "offended" is supposed to write the Attorney General? It's not clearly defined. So it could be barely enforced, or people could ask to see your ID or genitals before you enter the bathroom. Here's the bill itself.
03.
Don't they have anything better to do?
Excellent question. Apparently not. Affordability, housing, education, and healthcare had to be set aside for this EMERGENCY measure. (Yes, they actually called an emergency vote.)
02.
Why are they doing this?
It's performative. Trans people in bathrooms simply aren't an issue. At least, they don't cause issues. They are more often the victim of harm, not the other way around.
(See Q1) They don't have a plan, because they aren't genuinely concerned. They merely want brownie points for "owning the libs" and want to harass trans people out of the state.
Who's Paying for This?
Here's the kicker. The LARGEST FINES ARE BEING PAID BY YOU Say what now?!
"Penalty. An entity that violates the multiple-occupancy provisions of the bill would be liable for a civil penalty of $25,000 for the first violation and a penalty of $125,000 for each subsequent violation, with each day of a continuing violation constituting a separate violation."
The "entities" in question are PUBLIC buildings (private is also very possible, the ACLU is still weighing in on how that reads in the bill). Are we expecting librarians, teachers, park workers, etc. to watch the bathrooms nonstop to ensure that the "wrong" person doesn't go in there? That's preposterous. What's next? Putting cameras in the bathroom to help "catch" violators?!
Wait, wasn't this supposed to be about privacy?
And if private businesses DO fall under this legislation, who would want to keep their business in Kansas? Or set up a new one here? Being a business owner is hard enough, and often a big financial risk. Who would also want to take on the responsibility of "bathroom watchdog patrol." This bill is bad for business.
Can This Be Stopped?
Yes! But not without your help. We need to convince enough GOP legislators to uphold/sustain Governor Kelly's veto (when she inevitably vetoes it). This will a TOUGH ask, because it's such a partisan issue (when it shouldn't be.)
Loud Light has put together a great, easy tool for you to make your voice heard, BUT PLEASE DO MORE! Please contact the legislators on the "Poo Crew" above, and let them know you are NOT OKAY with this overreaching, anti-trans, anti-taxpayer, anti-business, anti-common sense bill.
Click here to contact legislators through Loud Light.
Take Action!
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Write legislators
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Call legislators
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Email legislators
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Write op-eds
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Email friends and family
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Text friends and family
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Call friends and family
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Post on social media
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No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, this bill is harmful in MANY ways, so find what makes sense to you.
Get Involved
Get connected with these organizations! Kansas belongs to ALL of us.
(These organizations are not officially partnered with or responsible for the content on this website.
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