(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . When The Levee Breaks: Defending Against The Flood of Hate in Kansas [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-08-22 If it keeps on raining, levee’s going to break If it keeps on raining, levee’s going to break When the levee breaks, I’ll have no place to stay - Led Zeppelin, “When The Levee Breaks” I’ve never found Tom Witt all that hard to get along with. Depending on whom you ask though, the mention of him among Kansas State Capitol denizens could trigger any reaction from warm smiles to a blue streak of curses. His name on the lips is certainly an acquired taste. Make no mistake though, the man was good at what he did. A savvy, dogged and outspoken LGBTQ rights activist and lobbyist, he served as the voice of queer Kansans’ interests for 20 years in Topeka until his retirement at the end of 2022. He’s as gay as they come, and yet carried himself in such a way as to fit in with the good old boys in the Kansas political establishment – a trait he made extensive use of as he held fast against two decades of anti-queer legislation Against that flood, Tom was a sturdy levee. Time wore the old levee down, though. The man had a heart attack in the midst of his work, and sacrificed uncountable precious time with his late husband, for the advancement of LGBTQ rights. And of course, the inexorable weathering of age worked constantly against him. Tom’s retirement coincided with the departure of Kansas’ first transgender legislator, Stephanie Byers, about whom I wrote in my prior story. With his retirement, the levee broke, and disaster struck. In 2023, there was a flood in Kansas. A flood of hate, bigotry, and exclusionism. I’ve reported on the bevy of anti-trans lawmaking that passed through the legislature this year. In a way, we were lucky. House Republicans couldn’t muster the votes needed to put a ban on trans healthcare for young Kansans. But there has still been significant damage done. Trans athletes in Kansas will have no right to play on the team of their chosen gender. And worst of all, the infamous SB180 survived in a veto override and took effect in July. SB180 is a sweeping law that essentially defines transgender people out of existence for official purposes, and bars trans people from updating their gender markers on official documents. The law is basically in full effect as litigation proceeds on this point. The individual bills that were considered this year were each heinous enough on their own, but on top of this, the bills were intended to send a clear message: Transgender people are not welcome in Kansas. The effect of this message weighed heavily against my own resolve to remain in this state. However, I am determined as ever to stand against the flood in whatever way I can. This is one of the principal drivers behind my decision to run for State Representative in my 105th District of the Kansas House. I believe that Kansas was founded as a Free State where all are welcome, and I believe bigoted and hateful policies have no place here. My home state’s legacy deserves better. This work is important, and it is a hard task, but I believe that with the support of allies both within Kansas and beyond, we can rebuild protections for some of Kansas’ most vulnerable citizens. Citizens who deserve to be welcomed, valued, and accepted. The hateful rain is not done falling, and the floods will come again, and we must work quickly and diligently to rebuild the levee that protected us from harm. So pass me the sandbags, and let’s get to work. ~~ 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://dailykos.com/stories/2023/8/22/2188953/-When-The-Levee-Breaks-Defending-Against-The-Flood-of-Hate-in-Kansas 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/