Image Description: Two large men and one shorter man, wearing bright yellow t-shirts that say "SB 244 Compliance Crew" in Dark Blue Helvetica over their chests. One of the larger men is standing facing full front, inside holding the door open with their body: the other large man is to the left, at 3/4 angle to center of the camera, and in front of the doorway, the shorter man is to the right, at the opposing 3/4 angle to the camera and in front of the door way. There is a placard visible over the shoulder of the foremost larger man, clearly indicating that this is the Women's rest room and includes ADA access toilets. (end description)
Transcript of text:
"BREAKING🚨🏳️🌈 Police were called on three bearded, burly men standing in the women's changing room of a public water park in Kansas. The men were there because state law requires it.
On August 8, the three men walked into the women's bathroom and changing area at Long Branch Lagoon, the city-run water park in Dodge City. The manager screamed and rushed children out the door, and police were called, as first reported by Erin in the Morning.
They were obeying Kansas Senate Bill 244, passed in February, which defines sex by birth certificate and requires trans men to use women's restrooms in government buildings. A second violation carries a $1,000 fine. A third is a misdemeanor. Any Kansan who feels aggrieved by a trans person in a restroom can sue them for $1,000.
To end it without an arrest, the men explained their own bodies to the officers, which the group's press release described as "uncomfortable descriptions of their bodies." Both the manager and the police said they had never heard of SB 244 and had never been notified by any government entity that it passed.
The men wore yellow "Compliance Crew" shirts. That same day, other trans-masculine Kansans used women's restrooms at a zoo, a library, a museum and parks in Emporia, Great Bend, Garden City and Dodge City. One library patron complained. Elsewhere they got dirty looks and left.
Senate President Ty Masterson said the law "restores sanity in Kansas" and stopped "our mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters" from sharing government bathrooms with what he called biological men.
"As a trans man, I have the immense privilege of blending in. But these laws force me to choose between safety and obeying the law," said Ray Vieux, one of the demonstrators. He said he has used men's rooms since February "enough to land me in jail several times over if I had been reported," and that every time he drives with an F on his license, he fears for his safety.
If you appreciate Gay News, it would mean the world if you followed my page. Thank you for being here." end transcript
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