Takeaways
- Kansas Republicans want to ban puberty blockers and gender-affirming surgeries for transgender minors
- Past proposals have failed, but Kansas Republicans now have a stronger supermajority.
- House Speaker Dan Hawkins said therapy and counseling are not the target of any ban.
Kansas Republicans plan to try to ban gender-affirming care for minors again.
That means cutting off access to puberty blockers and hormone treatments for children with gender dysphoria, and banning gender-affirming surgery for minors, which is incredibly rare.
The GOP has tried and failed to pass this ban. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly consistently vetoes the proposals, and conservatives can’t rally enough support to override the veto. The 2024 election changed the political makeup of the Legislature, though, and conservatives are going to try again.
“We only missed that by one or two votes in the House, right?” Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, said to reporters. “(The Senate) overrode it then and I think this caucus is probably stronger in that opinion than the prior one. So that would definitely be back.”
What has the Legislature already done?
A bill banning gender-affirming care for minors failed in 2023 and 2024. The bill could have cost doctors licenses for providing the care. It would also give families a path to sue for actual damages to a child and punitive damages.
The 2024 proposal failed when four Republicans crossed party lines and joined Democrats to kill the bill. But the political makeup of the Legislature has tilted further right.
The 2025 proposal will look similar to last year’s plan, said House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican. He said last year’s bill scared some lawmakers because they worried it would ban mental health care and counseling for transgender minors. That’s not the goal.
Hawkins said he wants to stop puberty blockers and surgeries. He said this bill should move quickly.
“I don’t think we’re going to wait till the end (of the session),” he said. “We’re going to get a lot of this stuff done early.”
The GOP has a larger majority and more margin for error. Two of the four Republicans who joined Democrats in 2024 didn’t run for reelection, and one of the newly elected lawmakers said they don’t support gender-affirming care.
Former Rep. Marvin Robinson, a Democrat from Kansas City, Kansas, switched party lines to support the ban. He lost his primary election.
Who supports the proposal?
The proposal is almost entirely supported by Republicans and splits largely along party lines.
Sen. Beverly Gossage, a Eudora Republican, said the bill would protect children because it prevents them from making life-altering decisions they may regret. Studies have found 1% of transgender individuals regret the choice.
Republicans also say Kansans could get the care at 18 when they are an adult, though doctors warn against waiting for gender-affirming care.
“We want these children to get the caring mental therapy that they need,” Gossage said during the 2024 debate. “We often pass bills in this Legislature to protect Kansans. We’re on the right side of history on this.”
Who opposes the proposal?
Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat, said supportive environments and proper medical treatment are the best ways to help transgender Kansans.
“I have heard from hundreds of Kansans and people who had a life raft because of gender-affirming care,” Sykes said during the 2024 debate. “We are trying to rip that away from them.”
Democrats say delaying care increases the suicide risk for transgender teens. Kelly has a track record of vetoing anti-transgender legislation, and any bill banning this care is almost certainly to be vetoed by the Democratic governor.
Related
