Voters express frustration at Laura Kelly’s confusing stance on trans-athletes

TOPEKA –  Kansas Attorney General and Republican Nominee for Governor Derek Schmidt continues to press Governor Laura Kelly on whether she will invite President Joe Biden to campaign in Kansas.

In his remarks last week before the capacity crowd of supporters during a rally event with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Schmidt joked that he would personally extend a formal invitation for the president to come to Kansas and campaign for Kelly.

In the week that has followed, Kelly has refused to answer the question: will she invite Biden to campaign with her in Kansas?

She did, however, spend the week battling voter frustration of her mixed messaging when it came to the issue of Fairness in Women’s Sports. Kelly, who has twice vetoed a bill that bars biological men from playing in women’s sports, released a new television ad last week where she states “of course men shouldn’t be playing in girl’s sports.” But shortly after she stated in a press interview that remains opposed to the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act. Kelly also said she agreed with the NCAA’s decision to allow Lia Thomas, a biological male, to compete in the women’s swimming national championships. Thomas swam for three years on the University of Pennsylvania men’s team as Will Thomas before switching to the women’s team in 2021 as a senior.

The bill Kelly vetoed two times would require that “[a]thletic teams or sports designated for females, women or girls shall not be open to students of the male sex.” Republican politicians including Kansas gubernatorial candidate Derek Schmidt have been vocal supporters of the bill, previously criticizing Kelly at the time of her vetoes. Schmidt also successfully blocked a Biden administration rule that would force schools to let students use bathrooms and locker rooms and play on sports teams based on gender identity instead of their biological sex.