TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — LGBTQ rights advocates called Tuesday for a Kansas state lawmaker to be formally censured after she publicly said she didn’t want to share the women’s restrooms at the Statehouse with a transgender colleague.
Stephanie Byers, D-Wichita, (AP Photo/John Hanna)
The furor over Helmer’s remarks shadowed GOP lawmakers’ attempt to override Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of a bill that would ban transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s K-12 and college sports.
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“We know this has been going on in offices, and back rooms and conversations since the day I was elected,” Byers said Tuesday. “The shocking part is that it came out, that someone actually said it.”
Helmer stood firmly by her comments while defending a bill she co-sponsored that would make it a felony for doctors to provide hormones or do gender transition surgery for children under 18. She also said she worried about the safety of young children who visit the Statehouse and decried what she called an “in your face” approach to promoting transgender rights from Byers, the state’s first elected transgender lawmaker.
The 70-year-old Republican lawmaker also said she tried to make a point when she mistakenly entered a men’s restroom in the House in early 2021. The men, she said, were surprised and upset, so she asked them how they would like it if a woman regularly used their restroom. Pressed on the issue Monday evening, she said parents shouldn’t be allowed to “change” their child’s gender.
“You can’t lop a penis off and then expect, you know, a little boy to now live his life,” she said. “He’ll be in regret for the rest of his life.”
Supporters of the bill on transgender athletes have said they want to preserve fair competition and are not attacking transgender girls and women. LGBTQ rights advocates said Helmer’s comments prove anti-trans bigotry is behind the measure.
The Kansas Senate voted 28-10 on Tuesday to override Kelly’s veto of the transgender athletes bill. A House vote will follow, but it wasn’t likely this week.
Republicans in at least 15 states have enacted bans on transgender athletes, and several have outlawed gender-affirming medical care for children. In Michigan, a conservative state senator accused a Democratic colleague of wanting to “groom” and “sexualize” young children, prompting a response that went viral on social media.
Helmer is a retired Wichita school counselor and nursing instructor, a conservative Republican elected in 2018 to represent a district south of the state’s largest city. She participates in rodeo barrel racing and has a sign in her office that says, “My horse is smarter than your honor student.”
Byers, 59, is a retired Wichita high school music teacher and band director who was elected to the House in 2020.
In her email Sunday to 25-year-old University of Kansas graduate student Brenan Riffel, Helmer wrote: “Now, personally I do not appreciate the huge transgender female who is now in our restrooms in the Capitol.” Riffel, who describes themself as trans-feminine and uses the pronouns they/them, released the email to the Kansas Reflector, a nonprofit news provider.
Tom Witt, executive director of Equality Kansas, called on the Kansas House to censure Helmer, something that would take a formal complaint from another lawmaker and a two-thirds majority vote.
“It is a new level of toxic bigotry that I have not seen in this building before,” Witt said.
Equality Kansas later sent a letter to House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., a Kansas City-area Republican, demanding that Helmer be punished. The speaker can strip a House member of committee assignments, but Ryckman noted that committees no longer are meeting for the year.
Ryckman said that if another lawmakers files a complaint, the House will form a committee to investigate, adding, “She will be held accountable by her constituents.
Byers said several lawmakers have moved away from her in the elevator, and that the Kansas Republican Party’s last platform, drafted in 2018, declares that, “We believe God created two genders, male and female.”
In her email to Riffel, Helmer wrote, “A doctor can inject meds and dilute but cannot destroy what God has done in the perfection of the HUMAN BEING.”
Riffel said in an interview that they weren’t surprised by Helmer’s response, “considering what it would take” to sponsor the bill banning gender-affirming care for trans youth.
“The rhetoric against the LGBTQ community has been the same for years, that we’re a threat to society; we’re going to hurt people,” said Riffel. “I just want to go about and just be myself.”
Follow John Hanna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjdhanna
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Bigotry is not necessarily always a bad thing.
One need not tolerate or accept every belief or action of another.
It is better to be condemned for standing up for one’s morals and values.
Than to be on their knees bowing down for the crumbs and the whims of the corrupt and immoral Liberal Democrats.
Note the Laws of God. The 10 Commandments and the Holy Bible.
Note that the demonic Democrat Party supports, encourages, promotes and protects everything that God has condemned.
To fully advance the Demonic, Socialist Democrat Party’s destructive agenda – dividing our citizens with hate and promote; rioting, burning, looting, open borders, gun control, radical feminism, abortion-on-demand, the LGBTQ lifestyle, unfettered sexual identity, transgender, “gay marriage” and the like, the pagan Liberal left Democrats must do away with our Constitution, GOD, common sense, morality, Christian values and free religious exercise altogether.
Under the guise of “anti-discrimination.”
AND how is anything she said “Hurtful”.. IT WAS spot the hell on!
When your father is Satan the father of lies the truth is always going to be hurtful.
As always Scruffy, spot on…with both your posts.
The democrat, Socialist, /Communist Party Of America , Has Played The Civil + Rights race Card Into The Ground , What With America’s ( Open immigrant , Borders, And Welfare For All Immigrants , the Minorities Fine out that The democrat party was Only Using Welfare to Secure Their Votes And They Are Beginnig To Feel Used And Are Thus Changing Political Parties.
ROE v Wade Modern Feminists Say , “Its a Womans Boby ,” Well, It is her body which she is responsible in how she makes the decision to have ” Casual Sex , and its her Body to use as she likes but then The female shouldn’t expect Welfare , Socety, To pay for her Mistakes…
No bigotry just common sense. Women don’t want to be in a situation that can go sideways when a is around.
Any ID 10 T can figure that one out.
Ya got a thang between your legs use the Men’s room and if you don’t use the Women’s room. Simple end of story and the LGBTQxyz community just needs to quit being the mouse that roared. Get over it. Besides for centuries you have endured and obviously are still here today. So where is the purge of you kind except in your mind???
Rep. Cheryl Helmer, stick to your guns as you are quite sane and correct in what you feel.
If The democrat Socialist – Communist Party Can’t Win One Way, they Will try Another Way , Anything That Will keep them In Power And In Office So Now Tje democrat Socialist Party of America, Is The ” Great Defender Of Transgenders. “
Part 1—“The Kansas House’s top Republican called GOP state Rep. Cheryl Helmer’s comments “unfortunate” and Democrats condemned them. The state’s leading LGBTQ rights lobbyist saw “a new level of toxic bigotry” in Helmer’s emailed remarks to a University of Kansas student and subsequent interviews about Democratic state Rep. Stephanie Byers.”
So, Liz Warren—along with other Leftists—is so concerned that Twitter, under Elon Musk, is going to go totally left-field and censor speech that would be considered unacceptable. And, what is happening with this Kansas lawmaker??
You Democrats have tunnel vision of the worst sort. You engage in censorship of free speech that you don’t want to tolerate and you try to make such speech out to be the worst crime against humanity. But when you think it might backfire, you assume a totally different view. The principles, ethics, morality, values, and codes we live by in this country are to be applicable to all—there are no special exceptions for special interests. They are for the common good to protect all people. The only interest that should be considered is what is in the best interest for the whole country.
As i often say.. WHEN THE left does it, its seen as righteous/just/good.. IF conservatives do exactly the same thing, its seen as bad/wrong/evil.
The Supreme Court Justices Are Political Humans Before and after being seated on the court and, they don”t become Unpolitical with putting on the Robes of the Supreme Court
Part 2—“The rhetoric against the LGBTQ community has been the same for years, that we’re a threat to society; we’re going to hurt people,” said Riffel. “I just want to go about and just be myself.” Well, Riffel, that may be the way you look at it, but the militant, in-your-face activists whose ambition in Life is to shove it down everybody else’s throat don’t see it that way. And whether or not you adopt their practice, you do adopt their sentiment. If you want to go about your life as a transgender—go for it. Upsetting societal norms is not necessary to achieve that. You become upset at what you feel is hatred towards transgenders, but there is no problem directing hatred towards those who do not approve of the lifestyle.
The LGBTQ community needs to understand that their lifestyle does not need to be incorporated into public life and acceptance. You want it in your private live—fine—keep it there and stop making public nuisances of yourselves.
There is definitely bigotry on the loose here. It is directed against God and His perfect plan for our lives.
LG are life styles choices, not genders. B stands for Bi which means two as in only two genders. and is a sexual practice not a gender. T is a mental health issue. You are the gender your born with. The Q is a derogatory term that is the same as calling a black person the N word.
LGBTQ can go pound sand and keep your perv life style to your selves.
I was going to comment on this article, but you summed up my feelings nicely in one sentance, capricorn1. Thanks.
The LGBTQ Con is just to want “equality acceptance and tolerance.”
These LGBTQ’s are the open practitioners of the infamous crime against GOD and nature,
Who sold their souls to the malicious, venomous bullies of Organized LGBTQ mafia.
These Sodomites, will not tolerate and will attack and attempt to destroy anyone and anything not accepting and promoting their degenerate, sexually perverted lifestyle.
Just love her comment and not surprised that the loony left object to someone speaking the truth. Every normal person in the world knows there are only two sexes, anything else is nothing but a lie.
Better yet. ALL OF them, get in a rocket, and launch yourselves into the nearest black hole.
Who can blame her? Look what happened at the Loudon Virginia school district where they let a tranny sissyboy use the girl’s bathroom and 2 of the girls were raped. Helmer makes a lot of sense.
I agree with Scruffy. You can think/say/feel/identify however you want. I don’t care. If you want to think the sky is green, fine with me but I don’t have to agree. You if want to identify as a grapefruit, fine with me. But that doesn’t make you a grapefruit, A fool, an idiot maybe but not a grapefruit. And it always amazes me that the left can have their beliefs and opinions but not the right. Any contrary, opposite opinion to the LGBTQ (did I get right) agenda or any other leftist agenda is considered racist, slanderous, contentious, evil, non-inclusive (or whatever). Think what you want, I don’t care.
AND to me, if they ARE THAT mental, that they DO think they are a grapefruit etc, THEN WHY THE HELL Should they still be allowed to vote, AS they are obviously NOT SANE.
Back in the day, there was a name for people like Byers and Riffel…and that term was FREAKS.
So far as I’m concerned, NO apology should be made to these freaks, period.
I get a kick out of Riffels’ saying: “I jutht want to go about and jutht be mythelf.” Uh-huh. If that were so, you would just accept the reality of who you are, and not mutilating yourself trying to pass yourself off as something you’re not.
What you do in your home is your business, don’t try to make it ours, and don’t expect us to accept you as something you’re not.
NOR would you be demanding everyone cater to YOUR delusions by forcing them to use your preferred pronouns, demanding equal representation in tv etc.. LIKE THEY HAVE BEEN.
>> Riffel, who describes themself as trans-feminine <<
Riffel, who describes himself as trans-feminine
Fixed it for ya. You're welcome. Call yourself what you will, a cow, an oak tree, whatever pleases your ego, you're still a man.
It’s time they were told where they can put their alphabet, and they were just told.
It’s about time the Media stoppepd catering to thexse misfits – They are misfits and scream and cry every time they get called on it. Transgenders are using this scheme in order to play on women’s teams when they are men etc – – just because they call themselves another gender doesn’t mean we have to accept them. Wake up Americas and don’t go along with them trying to make new rules for society. The LGB crowd thrink if they scream loud enough, people will comply with them. This woman called it like it is – NO real woman wants to be in a bathroom with a guy in a skirt – it’s still a guy and he has NO businessx in a women’s bathroom and should be called out on it.
As has been remarked before, EVERY TIME WE give even just an inch to them, THEY KEEP PUSHING for that next inch, and next inch..
The real story here is, top Republican called GOP state Rep. Cheryl Helmer’s comments “unfortunate”. If Republicans can’t stand together on men not being allowed to use women’s bathrooms, then the left has already won. How timid or clueless is this state house Republican to condemn a woman for not wanting to share a bathroom with a man. Get rid of these RINOs and maybe we could have a sane and safe America.
ITS not just the rinos, its the SPINELESS cowards who call themselves conservatives that need to go.