FRANKFORT, Kentucky (LifeSiteNews) – Kentucky’s far-left Democrat Gov. Andy Beshear vetoed a bill Friday that would ban gender “transition” procedures for minors as well as enact a series of provisions regarding how Kentucky schools handle gender, including limiting use of bathrooms to one’s biological sex.
In a veto message released announcing his veto of S.B. 150, Beshear, who is up for reelection this November, defended the mutilation of gender-confused minors with experimental drugs and surgeries and said that parents should have the ability to subject their children to such procedures.
READ: Kentucky gov vetoes bill that would ban infanticide, let AG suspend abortions
Beshear further claimed that the bill’s provisions would “turn educators and administrators into investigators that must listen in on student conversations and then knock on doors to confront and question parents and families about how students behave and/or refer to themselves or others.”
According to S.B. 150’s provisions, minors cannot be granted “sex change” drugs or surgeries, as well as inpatient and outpatient hospital services related to “affirming” a “gender identity.” Doctors would further have to establish a timeline to wean minors off of puberty blockers or hormones that they are already on if their sudden withdrawal would lead to harming the child.
The bill also includes provisions that deal with how Kentucky schools treat sex and gender by prohibiting sex-ed up to fifth grade, as well as prohibiting discussion on sexual and gender identity for all grade levels.
The bill further discourages the Kentucky Department of Education and Board of Education from implementing or recommending policies that would “affirm” “gender identity” through the use of preferred pronouns or require that any school district keep a student’s “transition” a secret from his parents.
READ: Church sues KY governor for right to resume religious gatherings
S.B. 150 further mandates that local school boards should “at a minimum” adopt policies mandating that gender-confused students use bathrooms and locker rooms in accordance with their actual sex.
The Kentucky legislature passed the bill earlier this month with a veto-proof majority. The legislature is due to meet Wednesday for the last two days of the current legislative session, during which time lawmakers could vote to override Beshear’s veto, the Associated Press reported.
It would not be the first time that the Kentucky legislature overrode Beshear’s veto of a “gender” bill. Last April, the legislature voted to override Beshear’s veto of a bill that prohibits biological males from women’s sports.
READ: Kentucky lawmakers override governor’s veto, ban men from competing in women’s sports
The bill also comes amid a series of bills in several Republican-controlled states with similar provisions.
This month, Arkansas enacted three bills designed to combat gender ideology. One bill allows people who have received transgender hormone and surgical interventions as minors to file malpractice suits against providers up to 15 years after their 18th birthday.
Another bill, similar to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Law, forbids discussion of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and bans gender theory and the use of sexually explicit materials in Arkansas schools before fifth grade. A third mandates that students at Arkansas schools use bathrooms and locker rooms in accord with their biological sex, making Arkansas the fourth state to enact such a mandate.
Similarly, several other states, including South Dakota, Tennessee, and Mississippi, have enacted bans on “sex change” surgeries and drugs for minors this year, the latter two in the past month.
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