This proud Kansan stands against bigotry. Gov. Kelly, veto bill targeting trans kids

Michael Franklin
·3 min read

I take a lot of pride in my identity and accomplishments throughout my 21 years of life. I’m a Black queer man from Kansas who is about to graduate from the illustrious Howard University during a global health emergency. You don’t meet someone like me every day.

After Gov. Sam Brownback’s tenure, I was honored to vote for Laura Kelly in 2018. I was overjoyed as a Kansan the day she took office and executed her first act as governor: signing an executive order reinstating protection from discrimination for LGBTQ+ state employees, which Brownback had rescinded.

This was an important moment for me because before that executive order, I had often told folks that if my partner Brandon and I were to get married over the weekend, I could be fired that Monday if I worked serving my state and my boss was a homophobe. Luckily, as soon as she took office, Kelly proved her commitment to ensuring that the LGBTQ+ community was protected under the law in Kansas. Now, more than ever, am I looking for her to step up and veto Senate Bill 55.

Across the country, many state legislatures are pushing legislation bankrolled by bigoted special interest groups to discriminate against trans kids. Unfortunately, one of these bills has passed in Kansas. SB 55 is a piece of unpopular legislation that is seeking to prevent transgender kids from participating in sports consistent with their gender identity.

Trans rights are civil rights — and Kansas has historically shown support for underrepresented populations, all the way back to the days of Bleeding Kansas. Americans overwhelmingly do not support discrimination against trans people. New polling from Public Broadcasting Service’s NewsHour, NPR and Marist Poll has found that 67% of Americans are against state legislation that discriminates against transgender rights, including preventing trans kids from participating in sports based on their gender identity. Another poll from Hart Research and the Human Rights Campaign found that 73% of respondents agree that “sports are important in young people’s lives. Young transgender people should be allowed opportunities to participate in a way that is safe and comfortable for them.”

If bigots with money weren’t so concerned about limiting the freedom of trans kids, I would not have to write about discriminatory legislation such as SB 55.

These sorts of discriminatory laws would inevitably take economic opportunity and business away from Kansas. Having a chance to host a World Cup game would be an honor — but transphobic legislation could stop that from happening. Not only would a World Cup game bring business to Kansas, but it would also be another reminder that Kansas is a place that reflects, represents and supports diversity, equity and inclusion. The impact of legislation like SB 55 would put a stain on Kansas that encourages people not to do business in a state that chooses to support biased laws.

Anyone who has pride in being a Kansan should vote against this bill and refuse to push any further legislation that seeks to discriminate against trans Kansans. I want to be clear: Transphobia is unacceptable and it should have no place in our Legislature or society.

Gov. Kelly, please veto SB 55. Members of the Kansas House and Senate, drop wasting your time on discriminatory legislation like this and get back to looking for solutions that will support the people in our state who have been hit hardest by the pandemic. As elected officials in Kansas, you should have enough pride in your state to uphold civil rights — not to push unconscionable legislation such as SB 55.

Michael Franklin of Kansas City, Kansas served a two-year tenure as vice president for external affairs with Howard University’s Coalition of Activist Students Celebrating the Acceptance of Diversity and Equality, the largest LGBTQ+ organization at any historically black college or university. He is co-founder of the annual As Queer As It Is Black Conference.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Home Hardware is having a huge sale on garden & lawn essentials — save on lawn mowers, fertilizer and more

    Now through April 24, save on everything you need for spring gardening at Home Hardware.

  • Prison Architect 2 is denied release until September 3

    Double Eleven and publisher Paradox Interactive have delayed Prison Architect 2 by four moths to work on technical issues.

  • We found Taylor Swift's iconic red lipstick favorites from over the years

    The singer's signature bold picks have included Pat McGrath, CoverGirl and Chanel.

  • Amazon advertising chief steps aside for new role

    Amazon.com's advertising chief Colleen Aubrey, who has held that role for nearly three years, is moving to a new undisclosed position at the company. Spokeswoman Kristin Mariani said Aubrey's new position would be announced later. Aubrey is also a member of the elite "S-team," which advises CEO Andy Jassy and has worked in the advertising unit for over 11 years.

  • Stock market today: Wall Street limps toward its longest weekly losing streak since September

    NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street’s latest losing week looks to be coming to a relatively quiet close on Friday. U.S. stocks are drifting in mixed trading after oil prices briefly surged overnight on worries about fighting in the Middle East. The S&P 500 was 0.5% lower in afternoon trading and on track for its third straight losing week. That would be its longest such streak since September, before it broke out into a record-setting romp. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 207 points, or 0.6%, as

  • Overnight visitors to the Kent coast could face tourist tax

    A Labour council in a holiday hotspot is considering imposing a tax on tourists who stay overnight.

  • Thousands of housing units, tramway in Montreal's new Hippodrome plan

    The City of Montreal is planning to build a carbon-neutral district of 20,000 housing units on the site of the former Montreal Hippodrome and land east of the Namur Metro station.Sandwiched between a railway yard, highway and industrial buildings in northwestern Montreal, the huge swath of land used to house the former Blue Bonnets track, where horses raced for over a century. In 2017, the city acquired the land from Quebec.Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante has called the plan Quebec's largest real

  • Women doing long jail sentences failed by ‘system designed for men’

    Exclusive: ‘In lots of women’s prisons, you will come off remand and be sentenced and be put on a wing among prisoners with sentences that vary from a month to longer,’ woman serving life sentence says

  • Man United overhaul under Ratcliffe extends to new technical director

    MANCHESTER, England (AP) — British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe continued his overhaul at Manchester United by appointing Jason Wilcox as technical director on Friday. Ratcliffe has assumed control of United's failing soccer operations since February when he secured a 25% stake in the storied club. A new CEO has been hired and a sporting director is also on his wanted list. Wilcox, who United said would start immediately, is seen as a key appointment ahead of Ratcliffe's first summer transfer windo

  • Caught between Israel and Iran, Jordan clings desperately to stability

    After Iran’s unprecedented missile and drone attack on Israel on April 13, Jordan finds itself caught between the two enemies. Friday morning's suspected Israeli strikes in central Iran have intensified fear that the country could be dragged into an escalation against its will. Having been historically neutral in the two countries’ decades-old struggle, the Hashemite kingdom is now seeing its delicate balancing act threatened. It’s a balancing act years in the making. Jordan, long obsessed with

  • Wilmot Roots sells out of trees

    In celebration of Earth Day, the Township of Wilmot offered a free tree giveaway program called Wilmot Roots for the second year in a row. This community initiative is the result of a donation of funds from Enova Power Corporation to help reforest the township. With the ongoing organizational support of the volunteer-based Let’s Tree Wilmot group, the township offered over 300 free trees to residents this spring. Chris Catania is the township’s director of community services and said the program

  • Man sets himself on fire outside Trump trial in New York

    Just minutes before jury selection finished, a man set himself on fire outside the court

  • Historic day for Kahnawake in Ottawa

    The sun shone and optimism ran rampant amongst the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake contingent last Wednesday on Parliament Hill for the signing of a document with the federal government that will put the community on an equal footing in government negotiations. Mohawk Council of Kahnawake Grand Chief Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer and Indigenous Rights and Research lead Ross Montour were on hand to sign the historic document with federal Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree in the West Bl

  • Federal government announces increased firefighter tax credit

    The federal government has announced it will be increasing tax credits and providing additional funding and support for volunteer firefighters. There are over 90,000 volunteer firefighters in Canada who put their lives on the line every single day. Many of them have to pay out of pocket to cover expenses associated with the life-saving services they provide. Right now, they get a tax credit of $3,000 to cover those expenses. In a pre-budget announcement last week, the federal government confirme

  • Magnificent Seven Stocks To Buy And Watch: Nvidia Stock Dives Below Key Level

    Magnificent Seven stocks, including AI leader Nvidia, are among the best stocks to buy and watch in today's stock market.

  • Katz group blames real estate, pandemic for years-long delay of Ice District's urban village

    An urban village at Ice District in central Edmonton — 2,500 residential units and a public park — is now expected to take at least three years longer to build than previously planned. Construction was slated to start this year as part of Phase 2 of the OEG (formerly Oilers Entertainment Group) master plan to develop the land around Rogers Place. Tim Shipton, executive vice-president of OEG, appealed to city council at a public hearing April 2, outlining the obstacles the development was facing.

  • Contrary local opinions on the 2024 federal budget

    The latest federal budget has been released and, to no one’s surprise, the government and the official opposition are at odds. The 2024 document goes after the country’s highest earners with new taxes to help offset billions in new spending designed to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland's budget outlines how the Liberals plan to allocate $39.2 billion in net-new spending, while upholding what they call fiscal gua

  • Emma Raducanu’s winless run against top-10 goes on after defeat by Iga Swiatek

    Emma Raducanu has been knocked out of the Stuttgart Open by world No 1 Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals after a straight-sets defeat.

  • Person who was on fire outside Trump's hush money trial is rushed away on a stretcher

    NEW YORK (AP) — A person who was on fire in a park outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump’s hush money trial is taking place has been rushed away on a stretcher. The fire was extinguished Friday shortly after a jury and alternates had been seated in Trump’s criminal case. A person could be seen lying on the ground on fire. People then rushed over to douse the person with a fire extinguisher and try to bat the flames away. Emergency responders then rushed the person away on a stretche

  • 20 Countries with the Highest Cancer Survival Rates in the World

    In this article, we will be taking a look at the 20 countries with the highest cancer survival rates in the world. If you do not want to learn about the cancer treatment in the US, head straight to the 5 Countries with the Highest Cancer Survival Rates in the World. Navigating the Terrain: The […]