Republicans in the Kansas Senate have approved a ban on transgender athletes in girl's and women's school sports with enough votes to override an expected veto from Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.
The 27-12 vote sent the measure to the House of Representatives. Conservatives had exactly the two-thirds majority they would need for a veto override, with one Republican senator absent.
LGBTQ-rights advocates argue that the bill represents discrimination and targets transgender youth who already are vulnerable to bullying and suicide. There's no evidence that there are more than a handful of transgender students participating in extracurricular activities. But supporters of the bill argue that they're protecting fair competition and preserving college scholarship opportunities for other girls and women.
Eleven states have enacted such bans, but Republican Govs. Eric Holcomb of Indiana and Spencer Cox of Utah this week vetoed measures. Gov. Kelly vetoed similar legislation last year in Kansas.
The state Senate failed last year to override Gov. Kelly's veto, falling one vote short, as three among the 29 GOP senators broke ranks with their Republican colleagues. In Tuesday's vote, one of them, Republican Sen. John Doll, of Garden City, voted for this year's ban.