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Kansas Democrat Governor Laura Kelly Shutterstock/mark reinstein

TOPEKA (LifeSiteNews) — The Republican-controlled Kansas legislature advanced three bills last week that combat gender ideology in the state. 

H.B. 2238, called the “Fairness in Women’s Sports” bill, passed the Kansas House on Thursday and prohibits the participation of gender-confused men in women’s sports. According to the bill, interscholastic, intercollegiate, intramural, and club athletic teams must be designated according to biological sex. Provisions of the bill would also apply to public schools K-12 and any post-secondary institutions.

The bill marks the third time in three years that the Kansas legislature has attempted to enact protections for women’s sports, the previous two attempts being met with Kansas Democrat Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto.

The bill passed two votes short of attaining a veto-proof supermajority, with a margin of 82-40, the missing votes belonging to Republican state representatives who were absent but who previously voiced support for the bill.

While two other Republicans defected on the bill, a Democrat voted in favor, claiming that he was following the opinion of his constituents and that he agreed with the bill’s language.

Republican State Rep. Barb Wasinger, who introduced the bill in the Kansas House, stated that “I’m trying to make sports competitive and fair for women … and it has nothing to do with trying to hurt any other person in the state.”

“[The Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA)] and the [National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)] have not protected women. They have not taken care of the rights of women, their privacy, as well as their ability to compete fairly in the sports field. They really leave a lot open, and they don’t address it,” Wasinger continued.

READ: Female swimmer torches NCAA after losing spot to William ‘Lia’ Thomas: ‘Make the right changes’

The bill goes to the state Senate, where a similar bill has already been introduced, KMBC reported.

Meanwhile, the Kansas Senate passed two bills on Thursday designed to curtail gender ideology in the state.

S.B. 180, also called the “women’s bill of rights,” would stop biological men from accessing women’s bathrooms and locker rooms, as well as block gender-confused people from changing their sex on official government documents by defining sex based on a person’s anatomy at birth.

S.B. 233, meanwhile, would forbid doctors from prescribing puberty blockers or “sex change” surgeries to minors or face losing their medical license. S.B. 233 also allows for former patients to sue doctors who provided them with puberty blockers or performed such surgeries on them.

Both bills passed with one vote shy of a supermajority, with votes of 26-10 and 26-11, respectively, and proceed to the House. Wasinger, speaking about the bills, noted that both are likely to be “well received” in the House.

However, Kelly is likely to veto the bills should they reach her desk. Speaking to reporters about the bills, Kelly said that Republicans in the state legislature should “cut it out,” claiming that the bills are an ideological statement has nothing to do with the welfare of the state of Kansas and doing nothing in the interest of their constituents. It just needs to stop.” 

The Kansas bills come as a series of states have passed similar measures to combat gender ideology. 

Last week, the Tennessee House of Representatives passed two bills combating gender ideology. One bill prohibits “transition” drugs and surgeries for minors, while the other bans minors from attending drag shows. The measures put Tennessee on track to be the fifth state with a total ban on surgical and pharmaceutical gender interventions for children, according to The Hill. 

Similarly, Utah effectively banned gender-confused minors from procuring mutilating surgeries and accessing puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones last month.  

Arkansas banned minors from attending obscene drag events on Friday.

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