Anti-trans discrimination an affront to human dignity and a sin, rabbi and pastor say | Opinion

Prior to the start of the 2024 Kansas legislative session, the organization we are honored to lead, Kansas Interfaith Action, submitted a letter to Kansas legislators.

Signed by more than 100 clergy from a wide variety of religions and denominations, the letter called on legislative leadership to reject any further discriminatory legislation targeting LGBTQ+ people in Kansas.

We wrote, “While we may hold differing teachings on LGBTQ+ issues in religious life, we join in common cause against any policy which might cause hurt or harm to people, no matter who they are.”

Unfortunately, the Legislature did not take our advice, and during this session it passed SB 233, a comprehensive ban on gender-affirming care for minors in Kansas.

After Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of the legislation, we and our coalition partners are preparing strategies to find the one additional vote in either chamber needed to sustain that veto and keep this terrible bill from becoming law when the Legislature returns for its veto session in late April.

Our opposition to S.B. 233 is based on two factors.

First, mainstream faith communities across Kansas share the values of safety, equality, and dignity for each and every person. We’re called to do no harm, and to do all the good we can.

Discriminatory legislation that targets individuals based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity is an affront to the values we hold as people of faith and as Kansans. Alarmist language, fear-based rhetoric, and general mis- or disinformation, of the kind that motivated this legislation, fuels discrimination, and discrimination does great harm.

Second, the bill itself is poorly written, overbroad, and discriminatory. It would ban medical treatments (including puberty blockers and hormones) that non-trans kids also access for conditions like precocious puberty. It bans “promoting,” “providing,” or “advocating” social transitioning, terms that are not defined in the bill. It would make it harder for mental health providers, including school counselors, to help trans kids who need holistic care–something every Kansas kid should have access to. It could prevent teachers or social workers from providing support or from discussing certain basic topics.

Many of the clergy who signed our letter have parishioners who identify as trans, and some have gender-nonconforming children themselves. So we understand the struggle of those who deal with this complicated and difficult issue.

Whatever your opinion of trans people or of gender-affirming care, parents of trans kids care as much about their kids as any other parent. They want their kids to get the best care, the care they need to live happy and productive lives. Comprehensively banning gender-affirming care, as this bill does, tells them that these concerns are illegitimate and that the most generally accepted course of treatment for people in this situation is literally illegal.

This bill, like similar bills in other states, will not stop children from exploring their gender identities. Rather, it will force families to either leave the state, or to travel to other states to get the care their children need. This will serve as an unnecessary and unwarranted burden on these families.

In many cases, the Kansas Legislature passes laws establishing the right of parents to guide the medical care of their children. But for some reason, when it comes to parenting trans children, the Legislature feels that it knows best, and it bans parents from doing what they judge to be right for their children. It’s arrogant as well as harmful.

We believe that previous such legislation has caused severe damage to our LGBTQ+ friends and neighbors, and that S.B. 233 is antithetical to the rights of equal opportunity and equal protection guaranteed in our state and federal constitutions; is contrary to the human rights to which we are all entitled; and is sinful in the eyes of a loving and merciful God.

Rabbi Moti Rieber is executive director and Rev. Dr. Annie Ricker is board chair of Kansas Interfaith Action, a statewide, multifaith issue advocacy organization that partners with many of the Mainline denominations throughout Kansas.