Deepertruth: Freedom isn't Free/America, Freedom always comes at a High Price

House Bill 2238, previously approved 82-40 by the House, was embraced Thursday by the Senate on a vote of 28-11. The bill now goes to Gov. Laura Kelly, who last year vetoed a comparable measure. In 2022, the Senate voted 28-10 to override the governor, but the House fell short of the necessary two-thirds majority to complete that process. The House vote last year was 81-41, three votes shy.

The new bill would forbid the National Collegiate Athletic Association, Kansas State High School Activities Association and any other accrediting organization or governmental entity from taking action against an institution maintaining separate sports programs based on gender.

The bill would require students in Kansas to be assigned to male and female sports teams based on biological evidence at birth, including a person’s genitalia, chromosomes or reproductive potential. Among 41,000 girls competing in Kansas high school athletic events, only three are known to be transgender.

Sen. Renee Erickson fought back against what she viewed as offensive criticism for avidly supporting legislation banning transgender athletes from school-sponsored sports teams for girls and women.

Idaho has become the first state in the United States to bar  from participating in girls’ and women’s sports and to legalize the practice of asking girls and women to undergo sex testing in order to compete.