Kansas Democratic groups call on KCK lawmaker to resign over vote on transgender sports ban
Several Kansas Democratic groups have called on Rep. Marvin Robinson to resign from the Kansas Legislature after he joined Republicans to override Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of a bill banning transgender students from participating in girl’s and women’s sports.
Robinson, a Democrat from Kansas City, Kansas, is in his first term in the Legislature after winning an open seat last fall. He originally voted no on the bill when it passed the Kansas House in February, but said he changed his vote because he believed people advocating for him to continue to reject the ban were “rude and insulting and attacking.”
On Friday, the Kansas Democratic Party’s LGBTQ+ Caucus and Progressive Caucus joined the Kansas Young Democrats in calling on Robinson to resign, saying he joined Republicans “hate fueled crusade that uses school children as scapegoats.”
“If Rep. Robinson is going to allow hate to overrule his commitment to Democratic values, he needs to step aside and let a real Democrat represent his District,” said Brandie Armstrong, the chair of the LGBTQ+ caucus. “Democrats barely have representation in Kansas as is, the least someone who claims to be a part of our party can do is represent our ideals.”
Robinson did not answer a phone call Friday and did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.
The Kansas bill comes in a moment where conservatives are pushing across the country to limit transgender rights. Republican=controlled state legislatures have passed a slew of bills targeting transgender people, including bills to limit access to healthcare for transgender youth and to limit what can be taught about gender identity in schools.
While polling has found that a majority of Americans approve of banning transgender women from participating in women’s high school and college sports, Democrats have largely opposed these bans on human rights grounds. The ban in Kansas would currently only affect three children between kindergarten and 12th grade, and opponents of the bill have said it is intended merely to stir up emotions on a cultural issue.
Amid the push to prevent transgender women from participating in school sports, the Biden administration on Thursday said it is proposing a rule that would prevent blanket bans preventing transgender people from playing school sports or risk violating Title IX and losing federal funding. Instead, any rules regarding transgender athletes would depend on the sport, level of competition and grade level of those playing.
Kelly on Thursday told reporters that the vote to override her veto “breaks my heart.”
“I know that there are legislators on both sides of the aisle for whom this was sort of a moral values vote and I think they voted against their own moral code and values and I think that’s going to be very tough for them long term,” Kelly said when asked specifically about Robinson.
This story was originally published April 7, 2023 at 11:45 AM with the headline "Kansas Democratic groups call on KCK lawmaker to resign over vote on transgender sports ban."
