🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🌻
I am extremely proud to announce that by a vote of 5-2 by the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners, I have been appointed as one of the first members of the brand new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coalition in Johnson County.
#ksleg
#lgbtq
TODAY- At Shawnee Mission North High School in Overland Park, KS, students will walk out of classes at 10:45 AM to protest an AP English teacher who wrote a right-wing op-ed claiming that SMN teachers are "indoctrinating" children. (🧵)
#ksleg
#ksed
Pros of living in Kansas: great people, great food, great schools, cheaper than elsewhere
Cons of living in Kansas: being forced to watch political ads from a variety of missouri men trying to be the loudest bigot on tv when all you’re trying to do is watch the olympics
2 years ago today, this pic of me went viral because my fellow Kansans and I did what was then unthinkable- we became the first state to vote to protect abortion access post-Roe. Our message was clear: radical bans on abortion are wrong. We sparked hope for America. 🌻
#ksleg
BREAKING NEWS: Every “Moms for Liberty” school board candidate in Johnson County, KS (the largest county in the state of Kansas) LOST their race! Extremist and hate LOST in Johnson County last night, and common sense and inclusion WON!
#ksleg
#lgbtq
#kansas
JUST NOW: The Delegates of the Kansas delegation to the 2024 Democratic National Convention have voted to endorse Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee for President of the United States. We are united and excited to endorse her! 💙🌻
#ksleg
People saying “oh KS will never vote for Kamala” when all they have to go off is the election from 4 years ago and no reliable polling
Don’t wanna say it outright bc I know the history and trends, but I also think there’s a tiny chance based on the shift in recent years
#ksleg
BREAKING: The Kansas House of Representatives VOTES TO SUSTAIN
@GovLauraKelly
’s veto of SB233, a ban on gender-affirming care!!! This LIFESAVING healthcare are will REMAIN accessible to LGBTQ+ youth who need it in Kansas! This is a BIG WIN! 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🌻
#ksleg
🌻 The
@KansasSOS
has just released an official statement saying that since January 2024, nearly 83.3k NEW voters have registered to vote, bringing the total number of registered voters in Kansas to over 2 million (there are just over 2.9 mil people who live in Kansas).
#ksleg
You can try to erase me from state statute with bills like SB 180, but you can’t erase me from Kansas. I still exist. I am still nonbinary. Why does my existence threaten you?
#ksleg
#kansas
#lgbtq
Let me be clear: as a proud graduate of Shawnee Mission North, students are NOT being indoctrinated. Rather, this teacher is misguided, and using her biases and privilege to promote an agenda; not the other way around.
Last night, KS
@GovLauraKelly
(someone who I am proud to call MY Governor) went on CNN and was the FIRST of the Dem women who are Govs to remind America that this next election, reproductive healthcare will be on the minds of many voters.
#ksleg
(1/3)
I have to say this: this is what it felt like just before August 2nd of 2022 when us Kansans voted to protect abortion rights in our state.
We’re going to win in November. 🥥🌴
I am sobbing. Can we not just have like one nice thing??? Why does Kansas City (or America) have to be this place where we can’t go anywhere or do anything fun or nice without worrying about being shot? Luckily I am safe, left before it happened.
#KansasCityChiefs
#unionstation
The teacher (Caedran Sullivan) has come under previous scrutiny by other students, graduates, and co-workers for "unprofessional" behavior, such as subtle transphobia, homophobia, and racism in her classroom, and even for being charged with a DUI.
#KSLEG
ALERT: Kansas GOP House Reps have JUST filed and co-sponsored a bill that BANS abortion in Kansas (but leaves an exception for the life of the mother).
LET ME BE VERY CLEAR. Abortion is NECESSARY HEALTHCARE, and lawmakers have ABSOLUTELY NO RIGHT TO MAKE DECISIONS ON IT.
BREAKING FROM GARDNER, KANSAS:
Gardner/Edgerton School Board votes 6-1 to keep “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie in the curriculum (a book which has been criticized as too “inappropriate”, and advocates have argued to have banned).
#ksleg
I will be sending a letter to
@ABC
and the Harris Campaign demanding all correspondence, records, and potential coordination between the two parties ahead of Tuesday’s presidential debate.
I’m 23 and a proud Gen Z Kansan. Since I can remember,
#Kansas
hasn’t voted to send their electors to the Democratic candidate for president.
I’m doing whatever I can to stop Trump in my state in 2024.
If you aren't prepared to do that- if you aren't prepared to be an advocate for the students you teach, regardless of ANYTHING, then you shouldn't be an educator. Most of the people working at North achieve this. Others, like Sullivan, in my opinion? They simply miss the mark.
Okay I didn’t win but rt if you think it’s insanely awesome that a non-binary person got over 32k votes in Johnson County KANSAS.
We sure did move the needle with this one 🥳 and the work isn’t done, I’m not going anywhere.
#election2021
#RepresentationMatters
However, I attribute the success that I had in high school as an openly LGBTQ+ student to the teachers that Sullivan so loudly (and so wrongly) claims are "indoctrinating" us. Those are the folks who simply look out for *every* student- no matter what.
TONIGHT:
@JoCoDemsKS
are having a gala and LOOK AT THE TURNOUT!! We will DESTROY the Republican supermajority in the Kansas Statehouse and we will WIN ELECTIONS all over Kansas!!
@KansasDems
are the BEST! This should scare Republicans!! 💙🌻
#ksleg
The
#ksleg
took breaks during the day today to observe the Christian holiday Ash Wednesday so legislators could go to church and be told to not judge one another.
Then they came back and passed 3 bills attacking LGBTQ+ Kansans.
So much for not judging others.
I know so many friends from Missouri who are upset about the Marcellus Williams decision. I am too. It’s disgusting. (I live in KS just a 10 min drive from the state line and from Kansas City.)
I hope my friends vote, ALL THE WAY DOWN THE BALLOT, this Nov. and every election.
Tomorrow, DeSantis will be in Olathe.
Tomorrow, Derek Schmidt will sing his praises.
Tomorrow, JoCo will show him that his human-trafficking, forced-birth, transphobic policies are not welcome in KS.
Tomorrow, I will show up in peaceful protest to help let him know who KS is.
The man who does nothing but kicks balls for a living wants to tell us how to live our lives. Thanks, but no thanks. Take your cherry-picked bible verse and throw it away
“Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For what things a man shall sow, those also shall he reap. For he that soweth in his flesh, of the flesh also shall reap corruption. But he that soweth in the spirit, of the spirit shall reap life everlasting.”
Galatians 6:7-8
When I was a student at SMN, the school (still) had a long way to go to create a safe and welcoming environment for every student (regardless of race, sexual orientation, or gender identity).
In her article, Sullivan incorrectly claims other SM North teachers are "indoctrinating" students with "woke" ideology, including critical race theory and LGBTQ+ ideology. You can read her article here:
They want to do the same thing in Kansas.
It’s funny, because the Kansas economy was all but ruined until
@GovLauraKelly
took over. She nursed it back to health, but some folks just want to send us right back into a hole, it seems…
#ksleg
Arizona replaced a graduated income tax w/ a “flat tax.” They implemented private school voucher program. And now they’re struggling with a $1.5 billion deficit.
In OK, we’ve done vouchers & there’s talk of pushing a flat tax.
Let’s not become Arizona.
Don’t give up on Kansas. People here are loyal, and kind. It really kinda is funny, that saying, “there’s no place like home”. We get tired of it, because we hear it far too much. But the people living here add plenty of truth to the sentiment. 13/13
I hope people in KS realize the
#ksleg
is trying so desperately to destroy public education for so many reasons, but the largest likely being that they don't want to give
@GovLauraKelly
a win. Remember how she bragged during her re-election campaign about fully funding ed? 1/
“Value Them Both”
What a joke. Unfortunately, we can’t afford to sit back and relax. Come 2023, Kansas Republicans will continue to attempt to chip away at abortion rights.
Not on my watch, and hopefully, not on yours, either 🤷♀️
For the record, I went to Shawnee Mission North High School, and I am extremely proud to have done so. People move to Kansas because of the reputation of our public schools. Our state is doomed if lawmakers muck them up. SB 83 is disrespectful to Kansans.
#ksleg
#ksed
GOP leadership in Kansas believes that Medicaid SHOULDN’T be expanded in Kansas, even though KS is one of ten states left to adopt Medicaid Expansion: “they should just get a job”.
Newsflash: many folks who would benefit from Medicaid Expansion already DO work, sometimes 2 jobs.
In Kansas, we are so lucky to have Governor Kelly. She is and always has been a FIRM ally to the LGBTQ+ community. THANK YOU Governor Kelly!!
#ksleg
🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Pride Month is a time to celebrate and uplift the voices and contributions of LGBTQ+ Kansans. As long as I'm governor, know that you will always have an ally and friend in Topeka. Happy Pride Month! 🏳️🌈
Just a reminder: Gov. Kelly wouldn’t have vetoed that plan if it were TRULY just about axing the food tax. Instead, it was a sneaky plan the KS GOP put up that tried to tie the disastrous
#FlatTax
to the proposal.
Try telling the whole truth next time.
🤔 🤔 🤔 Just a reminder: today Kansan's food sales tax COULD HAVE BEEN 0% but Governor Kelly vetoed that plan that would have: Helped Senior Citizens on Social Security, Zeroed the Food Sales Tax, and given a tax break to ALL KANSANS!
@wibw
@kmbc
@KSNTNews
#ksleg
Meanwhile in Johnson County, KS… (statistics as of June 30, 2022, and compared to November, 2021)
✨ 5,473 new registered voters
✨ Democrats gained 1,508 voters
✨ Unaffiliated gained 4,055 voters
✨ Republicans lost 239 voters
✨ Libertarians gained 149 voters
Absolute embarrassment of a representative to the state of Kansas. Would be best suited for a mental institution. Alas, he/she/him/her/wtf is in charge of the JOCO DEI coalition.
What the fuck is wrong with society. The closer it hits to home the more infuriating it is
Kansas voted to be a free state. Kansas is the home of the landmark Brown V. Board of Education ruling. Kansas elected the first female mayor in America. Kansas is the home of John Brown. Kansas pushed back against Sam Brownback and the failed tax experiment. 9/13
BREAKING: Federal court BLOCKS Kansas voter suppression law that prohibited organizations from sending personalized mail-in ballot applications to voters. Voting rights groups argued that the law violated the U.S. Constitution and limited their work.
Welcome to 2024. I’ve got a message for my fellow Gen Z’ers: don’t let the Presidential election let you forget where most of the change is made: in our state legislatures. In Kansas in 2024, the entire
#ksleg
is up for re-election, all 125 House reps and all 40 Senators. (1/3)
@iamjannana
Hey… if you go piss in the parking lot, technically, that’d be gender neutral too! And also, when you get arrested for public indecency/urination, I think a prison cell probably ALSO has a gender neutral toilet! So many opportunities for you to hold it 😃
In his rebuttal to
@GovLauraKelly
’s speech 2nite, KS House Speaker Dan Hawkins claims that in 2023, the GOP “led the charge” to fully fund special education in K-12 schools.
If that’s the case, why do Republicans keep voting against funding? Something’s not right…
#ksleg
#ksed
Today is
#TransDayofVisibility
. As your governor, I will continue to stand up for all Kansans to protect your rights and call out any behavior that aims to discriminate and divide.
It’s infuriating to me that Rep. Robinson couldn’t be an ally to the LGBTQ+ community today.
He should resign so that an ally can take his spot. I don’t understand why he voted the way he voted AGAINST a Gov. IN HIS OWN PARTY.
This will be hard for me to forgive.
#ksleg
It’s because Kansans are GOOD people. We support each other. We come together when it really matters, and we help others in their time of need. There are a lot of folks that vote for Republicans who no longer represent their values, sure. However, Kansas also knows better. 12/13
Kansas also pushed back against Kris Kobach and his extremist views, electing our Democratic Governor, Laura Kelly (5 of our past 10 governors have been Dems). We voted against Trump and extremism in congress, and sent Sharice Davids, a lesbian, Native, woman to DC. 10/13
Biden wants to replace lead pipes. He failed to mention that the unfunded mandate sets an almost impossible timeline, will cost billions, infringe on the rights of the States and their residents – all for benefits that may be entirely speculative.
#sotu
In Kansas, we have a saying- Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered. These big banks & credit card companies have gotten hoggish on the backs of hard-working Americans. It’s past time to rein in this duopoly.
And finally, most recently, Kansas sent a shockwave through America when we voted NO on a constitutional amendment that would strip away our citizens rights to make our own medical decisions. And my dad supported all that, too. 11/13
My dad knows this, despite the fact that he doesn’t quite want to say it out loud. He voted “no”. He voted for Biden. He votes for Kansas Democratic candidates for the
#ksleg
. (And, shocker, he voted for me when I ran!) 7/13
It’s funny the amount of heartless gun-loving freaks that said that *I* was the one trying to turn this into a political issue or that I wasn’t really crying.
I was at the f*cking parade. I could have been shot, too. I am traumatized. SHUT THE F*CK UP.
#kansascityparade
#chiefs
I am sobbing. Can we not just have like one nice thing??? Why does Kansas City (or America) have to be this place where we can’t go anywhere or do anything fun or nice without worrying about being shot? Luckily I am safe, left before it happened.
#KansasCityChiefs
#unionstation
In the past 8 years alone, KS:
-Flipped most populous county (Johnson) from reliable R to D
-Dems made ground in Topeka
-Crushed anti-abortion measure with double digits
-Elected and RE-elected
@GovLauraKelly
-Elected, RE-elected and RE-RE-elected
@RepDavids
Just to name a bit
Connell will be removed from all his committee positions and be pretty much stripped of what little power he had. He is a right-wing member of the Board who has constantly come under scrutiny for his behavior.
#ksed
#ksleg
Watching a conference committee in the
#ksleg
where lawmakers are trying to pass a bill that would allow religious exemptions to not require ANY vaccines. COVID, Flu… polio, meningitis, diptheria, measles… should I continue? These lawmakers just do not give a fk about kids.
I am so relieved the
#ksleg
is (for the most part) done for the year. At every twist and turn this year it seems like they’ve tried to do things that harm the people of Kansas.
To my Missouri friends:
MO Republicans want to take away YOUR right to be able to vote on abortion. They’re doing everything they can to stop the ballot initiative because they KNOW they’ll lose. My proof? I’m a Kansan who voted on this 2 years ago. Keep fighting.
#ksleg
#moleg
I mean look, I’d be living in denial if I said we were a “purple” or “blue” state yet, but being on the ground, I wish people weren’t so quick to count out what we COULD do, and SOON.
@KansasDems
have had some kick-ass elections recently. We’re gonna do it again.
#ksleg
In Kansas, we believe in science. We believe women are born women. We will never waiver in our fight to stand up for biological women in sports and never accept men competing in women's sports.
And for the record, we drink Coors.
If
#ksleg
GOP Rep. Brenda Landwehr (Chair of the House committee where two anti-LGBTQ+ are being heard today) wants to stop hearing people say she has “blood on her hands”, maybe she should stop supporting bills that would cause her to have blood on her hands.
#ksleg
Things NOT sent to the Gov’s desk:
-Legalization of marijuana
-Adequate funding for public schools, especially for special ed
-Medicaid Expansion
-A bipartisan tax cut bill that passed the House unanimously
-Literally anything else that will help Kansans and not harm them
#ksleg
Things recently sent by
#ksleg
to to
@GovLauraKelly
:
- age verification for websites with 25% "prurient" content
- gender-affirming care ban
- ban on rules on sale or use of vehicles based on energy type (i.e. no gas motor bans, but also no electric bans)
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Dear Kansas House Health and Human Services Committee Char Rep. Brenda Landwehr:
THIS is why people were telling you and your fellow committee members that you will have “blood on your hands”.
If you don’t want blood on your hands, don’t pass bloody laws.
#ksleg
Kansans- instead of focusing on passing legislation designed to HELP YOU, the
#ksleg
decided their time would be better-spent attacking and erasing harmless LGBTQ+ people. People who have done absolutely wrong (apart from, apparently, trying to exist).
NOW: Both chambers of the
#ksleg
have now successfully overridden
@GovLauraKelly
's veto of SB180- the so-called "Women's Bill of Rights". It will become law. Here's what the bill does (Thread) 1/