Kansas Legislature Passes Controversial Bills on Trans Rights, Abortion, Taxes, and Human Smuggling

Kansas has become the first state to enact a transgender bathroom ban that bars transgender and intersex women from restrooms, locker rooms, rape crisis centers, and other female-specific spaces. The legislation, called a "women's bill of rights," bars individuals who are born without the ability to produce eggs for reproduction from using women's restrooms, locker rooms, and other gender-specific areas. The ban applies to athletics, prison facilities, domestic violence shelters, and "areas where biology, safety, or privacy are implicated that result in separate accommodations." The legislation also classifies people with developmental differences, including those who are intersex, as disabled. The new law comes after months of upheaval, with legislators narrowly overturning Gov. Laura Kelly's veto of Senate Bill 180 over two days.