Posted on May 7, 2022
Kansas’ first transgender lawmaker reflects on ‘emotionally charged’ legislative session
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State Rep. Stephanie Byers has endured a session in which Republicans tried to pass bills curbing rights of trans kids and a fellow lawmaker complained about sharing a restroom with her.
The 2022 Kansas legislative session is wrapping up and for state Rep. Stephanie Byers, the state's first openly transgender lawmaker, it has been one fraught with issues that hit close to home. The Republican-dominated Legislature pushed to pass multiple bills that target transgender students, including one that would ban female transgender students from girls’ and women’s sports teams.
Byers said this session has been more “emotionally charged” than her first session last year.
“It may simply be because the fact that, you know, it was so green last year, that the expression that it's like trying to take a drink of water out of a fire hose is so apropo. There's so much information coming at you that I didn't have time to maybe react as much,” Byers told KCUR’s Nomin Ujiyediin on Kansas City Today
The 2022 Kansas legislative session is wrapping up and for state Rep. Stephanie Byers, the state's first openly transgender lawmaker, it has been one fraught with issues that hit close to home. The Republican-dominated Legislature pushed to pass multiple bills that target transgender students, including one that would ban female transgender students from girls’ and women’s sports teams.
Byers said this session has been more “emotionally charged” than her first session last year.
“It may simply be because the fact that, you know, it was so green last year, that the expression that it's like trying to take a drink of water out of a fire hose is so apropo. There's so much information coming at you that I didn't have time to maybe react as much,” Byers told KCUR’s Nomin Ujiyediin on Kansas City Today
Kansas’ first transgender lawmaker reflects on ‘emotionally charged’ legislative session
Posted from kcur.org
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..."We've gotten to a position where people understand that we are who we are not by choice, but because that is who we are; it's not lifestyle choices,” said Byers. “So those things are kind of being skipped over and not seen, because it's easy to focus on the loud person in the room and not notice that it's not just her. It's prevalent in more corners but maybe more ‘Midwestern polite’ in the way it's brought out loud.”
But Byers said the session wasn’t all bad – she has also been met with an overwhelming amount of support from the public and fellow Democratic legislators. Byers said the recent efforts targeting transgender and LGBTQ students have pushed her to not only keep fighting to protect their rights, but also serve as an example to them.
“It's been said that it's easier to be it when you can see it. And with me being there, there are kids all over the state of Kansas who are saying, ‘I get this now. I've got a future,’” she said. “There are families all over Kansas that are looking at their kids who are coming out to them and saying, ‘You know, my gender is different than my birth certificate says,’ who now go, ‘You know what? This isn't the end of the world. This is not gonna be a hard road for you. We've got Representative Byers. We've seen that this happens and that people, their lives go on and can be productive and informed.’”
Byers said she urges people not to be afraid of change or the unknown.
“Does that mean not to be cautious? No. Always be cautious because we live in a wild world sometimes, but don't let fear be the driving decision maker,” Byers said. “Let it be love. Let it be how you can help somebody else out be what drives your decisions. Let it be how you can help your community be what drives your decisions, and let that love be what we see from everybody.”"
..."We've gotten to a position where people understand that we are who we are not by choice, but because that is who we are; it's not lifestyle choices,” said Byers. “So those things are kind of being skipped over and not seen, because it's easy to focus on the loud person in the room and not notice that it's not just her. It's prevalent in more corners but maybe more ‘Midwestern polite’ in the way it's brought out loud.”
But Byers said the session wasn’t all bad – she has also been met with an overwhelming amount of support from the public and fellow Democratic legislators. Byers said the recent efforts targeting transgender and LGBTQ students have pushed her to not only keep fighting to protect their rights, but also serve as an example to them.
“It's been said that it's easier to be it when you can see it. And with me being there, there are kids all over the state of Kansas who are saying, ‘I get this now. I've got a future,’” she said. “There are families all over Kansas that are looking at their kids who are coming out to them and saying, ‘You know, my gender is different than my birth certificate says,’ who now go, ‘You know what? This isn't the end of the world. This is not gonna be a hard road for you. We've got Representative Byers. We've seen that this happens and that people, their lives go on and can be productive and informed.’”
Byers said she urges people not to be afraid of change or the unknown.
“Does that mean not to be cautious? No. Always be cautious because we live in a wild world sometimes, but don't let fear be the driving decision maker,” Byers said. “Let it be love. Let it be how you can help somebody else out be what drives your decisions. Let it be how you can help your community be what drives your decisions, and let that love be what we see from everybody.”"
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