KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Shawnee City Council approved an item Monday that would ban biological males from competing in women’s only sports.
The council voted 7-1 in favor of the “Fairness in Women’s Sports” item, with council member Jill Chalfie being the lone dissenting vote.
The item reads in full:
"The City supports a bill to protect the fairness of women’s sports; we believe that all should have equal opportunities in sports but allowing biological males to compete in women’s only divisions is robbing girls of their opportunities at all levels."
It is unknown as to how this vote will affect state and federal legislature.
In April, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a bill that would have banned transgender athletes from women's sports.
The Kansas Senate voted to override Kelly's veto of legislation, but the House of Representatives did not.
Kelly said if enacted, the bill would have been harmful to students and hurt the state's business interests.
She called a similar bill on trans athletes “regressive” back in March of last year.
A month later, Kelly vetoed Senate Bill 55, a bill for the designation of interscholastic, intercollegiate, intramural or club athletic teams or sports sponsored by K-12 schools or colleges in Kansas to be based on biological sex.
Kelly then released a statement following her decision to veto the bill.
“This legislation sends a devastating message that Kansas is not welcoming to all children and their families, including those who are transgender - who are already at a higher risk of bullying, discrimination, and suicide,” Kelly’s statement said in part.
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