By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
A group of about 45 people gathered Saturday in the 300 block of Main to protest laws that went into effect July 1 affecting transgender individuals.
The Fairness in Women’s Sports Act was designed by a Republican-majority legislature to stop transgender girls or women from participating in girls' or women's school sports. The law requires individuals be separated by biological sex. It affects student-athletes in kindergarten through college.
Senate Bill 180, which is also known as the Women’s Bill of Rights, seeks to force transgender individuals to use restrooms or locker rooms that match their sex as assigned on their birth certificates. It also affects the placement of transgender individuals in domestic violence shelters and correctional facilities.
Anniston Weber, a protest organizer, told the group gathered in Hays on Saturday that the legislation as was enacted on Saturday has no teeth.
Neither law has clauses that outline fines or punishments for violating the statutes.
The protest was one of many conducted on July 1, organized in cooperation with the Main Stream Coalition, Equality Kansas and Hays Pride.
"I think that is very important to all of the LGBTQ individuals in Hays and in the area to see that there are people who support you and love you," Weber said.
Weber read a statement from the organizers of the statewide protests.
"Every human being has the right to live their life without the fear of being attacked or discriminated against," she read. "It's not the Kansas Legislature's job to disenfranchise and discriminate against the most vulnerable Kansans.
"They should be crafting policies and laws that include and protect the people that they were elected to serve."
Forty-five percent of transgender kids have considered suicide, compared to 13 percent of non-LGBTQ kids, she said.
"People and families are leaving Kansas because they are scared for their lives," Weber read.
Weber said she was appreciative of the community support of the protest, which was peaceful.
"We are here, and people who love the LGBTQ community [are here]. They should feel welcome in Hays," she said. "They should feel welcome in Kansas, period.
"This demonstration is about Civil Rights and in opposition of SB180. We want to make that known to our legislators, there is a large group of people who are against SB180 and did not want to see that passed and are upset to see that go into effect."
Dr. Beth Oller, who said she treats transgender individuals in the community, said she would keep caring for transgender patients and going to the Kansas Legislature to testify in favor of transgender rights.
A transgender woman talked about her journey of transition, starting when she was 20. She said she felt obligated to pass on her experiences.
She spent two years transitioning and two months trying to get her birth certificate to match her gender.
"Now that SB180 has come to pass, that's all been thrown out the window, and my entire purpose in life for the last two years and the coming two years are going to be put in serious jeopardy, which makes me very sad," she said.
She said she is going to continue to draw attention to LGBTQ rights and try to help others, especially in small communities in Kansas, get the attention they need.
She said transitioning already has many safeguards in place, especially for youth under 18. There is no need to make it more difficult, she said.
She said transitioning has been one of the most rewarding series of events in her life.
Rep. Barb Wasinger, R-Hays, has been a proponent of the anti-transgender legislation.
"Barb Wasinger is not going to cooperate, but I'm probably going to die after Barb Wasinger," said the woman, who is in her early 20s.
The transgender woman said she wants to ensure that other members of the LGBTQ community have the opportunity to grow up and live in rural communities without fear.