During a recent hearing on a Kansas women’s rights bill, an LGBTQ activist claimed it was "incredibly offensive" that the bill mentioned physical differences between men and women.
Taryn Jones, a member of LGBTQ rights advocacy group "Equality Kansas," publicly attacked a proposed Kansas bill defining biological sex during the state’s Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee hearing on Wednesday.
Dubbed SB 180, the proposed legislation states "A ‘female’ is an individual whose biological reproductive system is developed to produce ‘ova’, and a ‘male’ is an individual whose biological reproductive system is developed to fertilize the ova of a female."
As reported by a local Kansas outlet, the bill also advocates for "separate accommodations based on biological sex," and states that "women sometimes need women-only social, educational, athletic and other spaces to ensure safety," including restrooms and locker rooms.
A line in the bill acknowledging obvious physical differences between males and females reduced Jones to trembling outrage during the hearing.
It states, "male individuals are, on average, bigger, stronger and faster than female individuals."
Given time to speak, Jones approached the podium and blasted the proposed legislation. She said, "SB 180 talks about how there are differences in biological sexes between men and women, and how men are stronger and taller. I find that incredibly offensive."
Jones struggled to continue speaking before the crowd, which included All-American female college swimming champion and women’s rights advocate Riley Gaines.
Jones found the composure to continue: "I find that like in this bill and bills like it, there’s this idea of a level playing field. But the truth is, there can never be a level playing field. There can never be an equal playing field."
She then mentioned her cousin as a counterpoint to the bill’s provision. She added, "My cousin is six feet tall, she’s a cisgender female. Should she not be allowed to play on a women’s basketball team because she has an advantage?"
Elsewhere in her two-minute speech, she argued that the bill cannot stand because there aren’t only two genders. "Scientifically that is not true," Jones declared, adding, "according to Amnesty International experts, roughly two percent of the population are intersex."
