Nineteen protesters were arrested at the Kentucky Capitol on March 29 as lawmakers voted to override Democrat Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of a bill prohibiting the use of gender transition procedures on children.
According to the Louisville Courier Journal, the individuals were arrested by Kentucky State Police and charged with criminal trespassing after refusing to leave the House gallery, where they were shouting and chanting during the debate.
The protesters have since been released on their own recognizance.
Commenting on the demonstrations, Republican Kentucky House Speaker David Osborne told the outlet: “Obviously, we welcome everybody to be here, to participate in their government … but we do expect that proper levels of decorum will be maintained to allow us to conduct our business.
“We felt it was important to proceed on with the business thing that we did.”
Present for March 29’s demonstrations were some Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) students—a fact the Republican Party of Kentucky excoriated in a statement.
“Why aren’t our kids in school? Isn’t today a school day?” Republican spokesman Sean Southard wondered.
“Andy Beshear and [Kentucky Department of Education Commissioner] Jason Glass are so committed to radical gender ideology in our schools that they would send students to the Capitol to protest instead of their classes,” he added.
“Understand what’s going on here: Andy Beshear, Jason Glass, and JCPS appear to be working together to implement this agenda in our schools.”
Responding to those comments, JCPS said: “Engaging in civic activities is a valuable part of the educational experience. Today’s field trip to Frankfort was student-led and student-centered. JCPS supports students’ right to free speech.
“Any students who were transported to Frankfort on a JCPS school bus had permission slips signed by their parents or guardians, as is the case with all field trips,” the school district added.
Meanwhile, Glass called Southard’s claims of his support for the move an “invented fanciful conspiracy theory” and described the Republican legislation as “bigoted, hateful, and shameful.”
“Instead of trying to pin this on someone else, legislators who feel uncomfortable with the attention they are getting because of this issue should reflect on their own actions and statements,” he added.
At the core of the tensions on March 29 was Senate Bill 150, which prevents minors from being treated with puberty blockers, cross-sex hormone therapies, gender transition surgeries, and other related procedures.
Additionally, among other provisions, the bill bans sex-based discussions in schools and prohibits schools from requiring staff to use a student’s preferred pronouns if they do not align with the child’s biological gender.
The bill was passed by the Republican-controlled Kentucky General Assembly earlier this month only to be vetoed by Beshear, who held that the legislation “strips freedom” from parents and allows “too much government interference” in families’ health decisions.
“SB 150 also turns educators and administrators into investigators that must listen in on student conversations and then knock on doors to confront and question parents and families about how students behave and/or refer to themselves or others,” he wrote in his March 24 veto message.
The governor also cited his faith as a reason for his decision, noting that “all children are children of God” and asserting that the bill would “endanger the children of Kentucky.”
But proponents of the bill have argued that it protects children and “empowers” their parents.
“Kentuckians overwhelmingly support SB 150’s commonsense student privacy protections in restrooms and locker rooms, along with the right of parents to have a say in their child’s education,” said David Walls, executive director of The Family Foundation, in a statement.
“The off-label use of puberty blockers, along with cross-sex hormones and surgery, in experimental gender ‘transitions’ has no place in children’s healthcare—the irreversible harms that de-transitioners have suffered testify to that.”
Adding that he found Beshear’s position on the matter “deeply troubling,” Walls said the bill would “save the lives of Kentucky children by setting policy in alignment with the truth that every child is created as a biological male or female and deserves to be loved, treated with dignity, and accepted for who they really are.”