A number of Democratic groups have gone after Kansas state representative Marvin Robinson after he opted to break party ranks and vote with Republicans to override Governor Laura Kelly's veto on a bill that sought to ban biological males from competing against females in women and girls' sports.
The Kansas Democratic Party's LGBTQ+ Caucus, Progressive Caucus, and Young Democrats all called on Robinson to resign, suggesting his decision to vote for the bill was part of a "hate fueled crusade."
According to the Kansas Reflector, the override was passed by just one vote, causing many Democrats and the aforementioned groups to feel as though Robinson had betrayed them.
"If Rep. Robinson is going to allow hate to overrule his commitment to Democratic values, he needs to step aside and let a real Democrat represent his district," LGBTQ+ Caucus chair Brandie Armstrong said, accusing him of "joining the GOP's hate fueled crusade that used school children as scapegoats."
Progressive Caucus chair Melinda Lavon called Robinson's vote "an affront to basic empathy" that "directly causes harm to Kansans," and joined Armstrong in her call for him to be booted from the party.
Lavon argued that Republicans often "excommunicate party members for endorsing positions that the GOP leadership dislikes," however it should be noted that two Republican representatives broke party ranks to vote with the Democrats on the veto overrule, and faced no disciplinary actions or calls to resign.
Robinson spoke with KCMO Talk Radio the day after the vote took place and explained that a Democratic colleague came up to him after the fact and told him he should have "blame and guilt" if any transgender individuals commited suicide as a result, reminding him that two had after a bill failed to pass last year.
"I had to gasp," Robinson said. "I was like, God, how cruel of a question."
He went on to note that he "wouldn't feel any guilt or blame if that happens this year," adding that, "The very first thing I would do is pray for their souls and ask God to bless their families and their classmates and their neighbors."
Robinson said that while he originally voted alongside his Democratic colleagues on similar issues thinking he was on the side of "civility and inclusion and kindness," he soon realized that people had "turned it into something different."
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