'And they call us pedophiles': Kansas GOP admonished for overriding governor's veto of trans athlete ban

After a bill banning transgender athletes from competing in girls and women' sports was vetoed three times by Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, it will now move forward after House and Senate Republicans voted to override the veto Wednesday, The Kansas City Star reports.

Per The Kansas City Star, the state GOP leaders "have sought to pass the policy since 2021 but have been unable to overcome Kelly’s veto until now."

The bill, according to Kansas Reflector, "would require children as young as kindergarten age to participate in school activities based on the gender they were assigned at birth. Challenges potentially could expose them to genital inspections."

READ MORE: Nearly 400 anti-LGBTQ bills are working their way through 38 state legislatures

Regarding the legislation, Kelly said last month, "Let's be clear about what this bill is all about — politics. It won't increase any test scores. It won’t help any kids read or write. It won't help any teachers prepare our kids for the real world. Here's what this bill would actually do: harm the mental health of our students."

Following the vote, according to The Kansas City Star, state Democratic Rep. Heather Meyer "stood on the House floor to display her 'PROTECT TRANS YOUTH' t-shirt." Her child child is transgender.

"All I'm seeing is people saying they hate my child. They hate other kids like my child. They hate children and they're not really fighting for them," Meyer said. "It just makes me upset, and I'm tired. But I'm going to keep fighting."

A member of the civic action group Loud Light, Rija Nazir, told Kansas Reflector the "bill was 'never about sports or athletes.'"

Nazir noted, "Not only does this bill fail to understand the difference between sex and gender, but dehumanizes cisgender girls by measuring them by the potential function of their reproductive organs. The Kansas Legislature should be ashamed of themselves for attempting to infringe on the privacy of minors."

READ MORE: Kentucky Republicans override governor's veto to enact draconian anti-trans law

Following the vote, social media erupted in outrage.

@NormaJBaker4: "And they call us pedophiles!!!"

caitlin clarkize: please remember that the 'democrats are groomers,' stuff was always and will remain projection"

Santiago Mayer: "Holy f**k. Kansas Republicans just overwrote the Governor's veto to enact a bill requiring genital inspections on student athletes. These people are sick."

@raptorgirlSK: "The last time government inspected genitals of children was in Hitler's Germany to try and find Jews. Are we really doing this?"

READ MORE: Arkansas Republican asks trans woman about her genitals during hearing on anti-trans bill

@ResisterOf: "If this is true this is sick. This is child abuse. And hell would freeze over before any person 'inspected the genitals' of my child. Wtf Kansas. Gross."

@ebarcuzzi: "The Child Genital Inspectors will surely keep our children safe from groomers and pedophiles."

Andrea Bell: "How will they explain to the student why they are checking their genitals??????"

@texaradogirl: "And they say the left are sexualizing children? If anyone, male or female, insisted on inspecting my child's genitals? OMG. I can't say what I'd do."

Liam Nissan: "F**k these Nazis"

READ MORE: 'I will burn the session to the ground' over anti-trans bill, says Nebraska Democrat

The Kansas City Star's full report is available at this link (subscription required). Kansas Reflector's report is here.