TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday vetoed a Republican measure that would have made Kansas the latest state with a GOP-controlled legislature to ban transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s school sports.
Kelly’s action was widely expected because she had labeled the bill “regressive” and said it would hurt the state’s ability to recruit businesses. Conservative Republican lawmakers did not have the two-thirds majorities necessary in both chambers to override a veto when they pushed it to passage earlier this month.
The governor cited possible damage to the state’s business climate as a reason for vetoing the bill but emphasized what she said was its broader, “devastating” message that “Kansas is not welcoming to all children and their families.”
