Missouri, Kansas politicians say youth sports bans are about fairness? Here’s the fix | Opinion
Gender fairness?
Since the stated reason to ban transgender youths from sports is a perceived inequality in gender-based body mass, I have the perfect solution to ensure that we enforce fairness for all our kids.
The Kansas Legislature (someone perhaps who is Ty-ed to fairness Andover the top in pursuing it) should introduce a bill with these simple provisions:
▪ All participants in every sport are separated by gender and measured for height and weight.
▪ Those numbers are averaged.
▪ Anyone exceeding those averages may not play or even try out for that sport.
So, too bad about the 6-foot-6 girl who can’t play girls basketball. Try home economics. And sorry, that big kid who could by himself be the front four on the football team — maybe the chess club would be to your liking. It’s unfortunate that your genetic heritage prohibits athletics for you, but that’s the way it is. It’s not about what you want, you see — it’s just about your DNA. Nothing personal.
Because it’s all just to be fair, right?
- Diana Richards, Overland Park
The wrong size
Kansas City won’t have a “big-boy” airport until there is public transportation available from the airport to the city. (April 26, 14A, “New pickup rules are the price of a big-boy airport”)
To compare Kansas City International Airport to New York’s LaGuardia or Los Angeles International is like comparing a lemon to a grapefruit. Convenience matters.
The problem isn’t with the drivers. The problem is with Kansas City for building a “big-boy” airport for a sandlot size city.
- Jane Gilbreath, Kansas City
On donor trust
On behalf of 501(c)(3) nonprofit Philanthropy Roundtable, we were pleased to see Gov. Laura Kelly sign the Donor Intent Protection Act into law recently. We work with donors and charities all over the country, and we hope other states will follow Kansas’ lead to enact legislation that fosters accountability and builds trust between donors and charities. Both are critical to ensuring charitable giving remains an effective avenue for providing essential support to those in need.
Donors often give to charities with a specific purpose and expectation for how their donations will be used. Sadly, at times, donor intent has been violated, resulting in complicated legal battles. The Donor Intent Protection Act safeguards the intentions of Kansas donors and provides a way to correct violations, specifically offering a legal pathway for enforcing written endowment agreements.
Giving donors confidence that their contributions will not be misused encourages generosity, potentially resulting in additional charitable giving for the nonprofits working to strengthen Kansas communities and improve the lives of those who live there.
We’re grateful that Kansas chose to protect donor intent as a cornerstone of philanthropy, which continues to play a critical role in helping communities address some of our most complex social challenges.
- Jack Salmon, Arlington, Virginia, and Megan Schmidt, Leawood
Name games
When I was born, my mother received my birth certification and put it away. I was enrolled in school as Susan. When I turned 16 and went to get my driver’s license, I found out my name was legally Susie on my birth certificate, so that name was put on my license. When I went to get my Social Security card, I asked the man at the office if I had to put Susie on my card or could I use Susan instead? He said fine, it would not make any difference.
So 60-some years later, I am trying to help get state assistance for my special needs granddaughter. Missouri officials say my driver’s license and Social Security card must have the same name. At the Social Security office, I was told to go to the Jackson County Courthouse to get a name-change form. I had to fill out several papers there, take them across the street to get then notarized, go back to the courthouse and pay nearly $150 for a judge to change my name back to Susie, which is already my legal name. Now I have to wait four more weeks for the judge to OK this name change.
- Susan Hilliard, Lee’s Summit