Kansas' AG is telling schools they must out trans kids to parents, even with no specific law
Kansas’ attorney general is telling public schools they’re required to tell parents their children are transgender or non-binary even if they’re not out at home, though Kansas is not among the states with a law that explicitly says to do that.
Republican Kris Kobach’s action was his latest move to restrict transgender rights, following his successful efforts last year to temporarily block Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s administration from changing the listings for sex on transgender people’s birth certificates and driver’s licenses to reflect their gender identities. It’s also part of a trend of GOP attorneys general asserting their authority in culture war issues without a specific state law.
Kobach maintains that failing to disclose when a child is socially transitioning or identifying as non-binary at school violates a parents’ rights. He sent letters in December to six school districts and the state association for local school board members, then followed up with a public statement Thursday after four districts, all in northeast Kansas, didn’t rewrite their policies.
The Kansas attorney general’s letters to superintendents of three Kansas City-area districts, Topeka’s superintendent and the Kansas Association of School Boards accused them of having “surrendered to woke gender ideology.” His letters didn’t say what he would do if they didn’t specifically require teachers and administrators to out transgender and non-binary students.
Why, Kobach? The only reason I can see is that you think parents can beat the trans out of their kids.
Yeah. He probably wants that.
Exactly.
I’ve been trying (and failing) to understand why conservatives are so thrice damned obsessed with everyone’s genitals.
There's always a boogeyman to distract from the actual grift.
I think that's literally it. Attacking gay rights is a losing battle so now they've moved onto a new minority group to target.
Sounds right. Stoke anger and fear so people are easy to control. Some are true believers in the hate but most are grifters.
They're also attacking gay rights, though, just not as aggressively as they are trans rights.
Oh yeah they're still doing their best to infringe on gay rights.
The fortunate part is all those stunts against gay rights that DeSantis pulled didn't work out too well for him at the national level since he already dropped out of the presidential running.
Ugh, those poor kids :-(
The only thing schools should be concerned with is providing a good education in a safe environment. Whatever gender a kid is or chooses to be is not relevant to that goal. And they certainly shouldn’t be forced to put kids in actual danger like this.
Man, what the fuck is wrong with the US these days that this even needs to be said.
This fuckmonger Kris Kobach is still skulking around Kansas politics? Jesus, Kansas Republicans, have some goddamned shame for once.
Freedom is FORCING kids to use Names and Genders they DON'T want! STOP wearing PANTS Sally you are NOT a Boy! That's ILLEGAL!
Yeah this is the guy on that committee that sent requests for voting information of Hispanics only.
Another fine day for the followers of Christ. Remember kids, there are no good religions.
I think it is wrong, but within the purview of an AG to decline to prosecute a case where a school outs a child to their parent. That's part of how the system works - and certainly is also misused by selectively applying laws - for example decriminalizing sex work or certain drugs. They remain illegal but the cases aren't prosecuted.
On the other hand, to say in an official capacity it is a violation of the law not to do this, definitely seems illegal.
That's not the subject of the article.