(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Trans People are Leaving Kansas. Here’s Why I’m Staying to Fight. [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-04-17 For trans people like me, the future is coming down to three options: run, hide, or fight. The Kansas House of Representatives was better for having Stephanie Byers in it. A music teacher by trade, Byers gave a voice to transgender people in a way no one had ever done in Kansas: She became Kansas’ first openly trans legislator. And she was a gifted one. During the 2021-2022 session, she held back the tide of anti-trans bills that set the stage for the more extreme bills we see today. More than this, she was the face of the people the GOP wanted to persecute. Republicans could no longer think of trans people as some abstract “other,” because now they knew a trans person. A human, just like them. And if they wanted to pour out their hatred onto trans people, they had no choice but to do it to Byers’ face. And then life happened. With aging and ailing parents to care for, Byers chose not to run for a second term and relocated to Texas, where she remains vocal about trans rights. In Byers’ absence, 2023 has been a disastrous year for trans rights in the Kansas State House. The trans sports ban that Byers fought so hard to defeat will soon become the law of the land. Other bills including a trans youth healthcare ban, and a “women’s bill of rights” that bars trans people from bathrooms and from changing their government ID’s, now sit on the governor’s desk. Other US states offer a glimpse of things to come. Kansas could well join Tennessee and elsewhere in attempting to ban insurance coverage for gender-affirming care. Worse, next-door Missouri’s Attorney General has just created a three-year gauntlet of impossible obstacles to deter anyone seeking to transition in that state. Could Kansas be next? Many of my friends aren’t waiting to find out. Those members of Wichita’s small but vibrant trans community have seen enough. Concerns about safety and quality of life are driving them away - when they can afford to leave. One woman is about to relocate to Colorado, as other folks plan their own moves to states such as California, Oregon, Michigan, and Washington. There is certainly part of me that wants to join them and leave this impending disaster behind. I could easily save up a little money and make my future in some safer place. Things in Kansas are all but certain to get worse before they get better. But I’m not going. I have work to do here. In 2024, my name will be on the 105th District’s ballot for State Representative. As I mentioned, more anti-transgender legislation and policy is undoubtedly coming our way, and I hope to pick up where Rep. Byers left off in standing against the worst of the coming anti-trans agenda. It’s going to be a long road ahead, and I have already begun walking it. I will not stop now. And regardless of what the outcome of next year’s election is, the battle will still need to be fought, and I intend to help fight it however I can. There are many trans folks in Kansas who don’t have the luxury of choosing to leave, while others may not possess the ability to raise their voice against their oppressors. I would rather fight for them than leave them here alone. Further, I know that erasure is the goal of the those pushing the unfolding nightmare here. Leaving would be a treat for them, and I am in no mood to give them the satisfaction. More than anything, Kansas is my home. I was born here. For all but two years of my life, I have rested my head among these wheat fields and rolling hills, and under this expansive sky. For all its quaintness and unexotic simplicity, I feel that my soul wants me to eventually die here, hopefully after many long and happy years of breathing life from my state’s southerly winds. But if I want those long and happy years, I’ll have to fight for them. That’s what it currently means to be transgender in Kansas. And so, fight I will. ~~ My name is Jaelynn Abegg, and I’m from Wichita, Kansas. I’m a musician, member of the working class, citizen of the Cherokee Nation, and proud transgender woman. I’m running for State Representative in Kansas’ 105th House District because I believe a fairer, safer, healthier, and more prosperous Kansas is worth fighting for. If you’d like to learn more about my campaign, visit my website: www.jaelynnforkansas.com. If you’d like to contribute to my campaign, you can do so securely via ActBlue: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/jaelynn4ks [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/17/2164182/-Trans-People-are-Leaving-Kansas-Here-s-Why-I-m-Staying-to-Fight Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/