Kansas governor sides with trans activist as he enters women’s bathroom

A transgender Colorado man has yet to face legal consequences after breaking Kansas law by entering a women’s restroom at the Statehouse on Tuesday.

“Samantha” Boucher, a biological man, entered the Kansas Capitol building on International Transgender Day of Visibility with the intention of protesting SB 244, a new state law put in place in February “to protect women and girls and to reflect reality in state records.”

The law requires government IDs such as driver’s licenses and birth certificates reflect biological sex. It also makes it illegal to use a bathroom in government facilities and schools that doesn’t align with a person’s biological sex.

Boucher informed Capitol Police officers beforehand of his planned act of “civil disobedience” to enter the women’s restroom, according to the Topeka Capital-Journal.

The officers, according to the Kansas Reflector, told Boucher they weren’t responsible for enforcing civil offenses such as this, but would notify the Kansas Department of Administration of the offense.

On his way to the second-floor bathroom, Boucher discovered Democrat Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly taking questions from media. Boucher entered the room and told Kelly, “I appreciate your veto of that bill.”

Kelly had vetoed SB 244, but her action was overturned by a supermajority vote of the Republican-controlled Legislature.

Boucher also told Kelly of his intention to enter a women’s restroom three times, and the governor demonstrated she had no interest in upholding the law in question.

“I am very sorry that you and others are being put in this situation,” Kelly responded.

Boucher went on his way to enter the women’s restroom with Kansas Highway Patrol Lt. Grady Walker watching close by and recording the act, the Reflector reported.

The law states second-time violators of the law are subject to a “civil penalty” of $1,000, and anyone who violates the law three times or more – which Boucher purposefully did – are guilty of a class B misdemeanor.

Walker told the Reflector he’s treating the incident as a criminal investigation. Walker questioned Boucher in private after the protest. No legal action is being taken against Boucher at this point, according to KSNT.

Other transgender people have tried to have the law overturned, such as with an attempted court injunction last month that was denied. How and when the law will be enforced remains unclear.

“Now we will see if the attorney general chooses to enforce the law that he’s passed as I violate it, as a trans woman,” Boucher said as he walked to the women’s bathroom, reports the Capital-Journal.