Kansas lawmakers use use state budget to police pronouns, threatening workers’ constitutional rights

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Democratic Rep. Heather Meyer of Overland Park opposed a budget proviso requiring the elimination of pronouns from state employee email signature blocks. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)

TOPEKA — Kansas state and university employees were told they must remove pronouns from their email signatures and all other work communications as a result of a directive lawmakers inserted into the state budget.

The budget proviso, which threatens constitutional rights to free speech, requires state agencies to remove all diversity, equity and inclusion programming, training and positions. State employees must remove any “gender ideology” in email signatures and work communications.

“I don’t know what was going to be accomplished by this,” said Rep. Mike Amyx, D-Lawrence. “I couldn’t see a positive outcome on it. The potential for somebody to get in trouble because of this bill is real.”

Amyx, a ranking minority leader on the higher education budget committee, said the provision puts state universities and their faculty in uncomfortable situations.

“I don’t even have a direction that I can tell them right now,” Amyx said. “I’m just concerned.”

The University of Kansas announced last month that it would comply with a directive from the Kansas Board of Regents. KU employees had until July 31 to remove pronouns from their email signature blocks.

KU chancellor Doug Girod released a statement July 22 outlining the rules of the ordinance, ending the message stating the KU community is founded on “respect and support” for one another.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression wrote in a July 28 letter to the Board of Regents that universities following the guidance infringe upon employees’ First Amendment rights. FIRE said the language in the guidance is overly broad and vague.

“We offered to work with the Board to craft alternative guidance that clarifies the scope of the law consistent with the First Amendment,” the letter said. “However, the President of the Board has told the media he is unlikely to change the guidance.”

The organization’s letter said it will continue to fight for the rights of employees affected by this new anti-free speech law.

Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican who is seeking his party’s nomination for governor, said in a statement he is proud to have championed this legislation, following President Donald Trump’s lead on cutting DEI programming.

“ ’DEI’ programs promote divisive environments that pressure students and faculty to adopt specific viewpoints, undermining academics and setting Kansas universities back,” Masterson said.

Rep. Heather Meyer, D-Overland Park, said she voted against the budget because of its consequences for minority communities across the state. She said the budget proviso proves legislators’ lack of understanding of the LGBTQ+ and minority communities.

“It’s just deplorable,” Meyer said. “It’s codifying hatred. Universities have typically been beacons of free speech. To turn into this is awful. We just have to keep fighting.”

She said many state employees won’t be able to risk not complying with the budget requirement, especially without a clear understanding of the consequences.

“For people who are actively removing their pronouns and don’t feel safe in keeping them on there and protest, there’s absolutely no judgment about that,” Meyer said. “Everybody needs to support their family and feel safe speaking out.”

The Lawrence Trans Coalition publicly denounced KU’s decision to comply with the budget requirement.

The coalition called for “overwhelming pushback” and recommended wearing pronoun pins to work or calling attention to the budget requirement in email signatures.

“It is genuinely harrowing to see them so quickly comply with an anti-trans bill that has no explicit enforcement mechanisms spelled out within the text,” said Lawrence Trans Coalition politics and public relations chair Isaac Johnson. “The implication here is that the Kansas Legislature views the mere concept of disclosing pronouns as political extremism that must be oppressed.”

Some state employees have said the forced removal of pronouns inherently targets the trans community. The bill does not outline what else can and can’t be in an email signature, such as “Mr.” or “Mrs.”

“If a Kansas state employee wanted to end an email with ‘God bless,’ they would be allowed. If they wanted to mention their partner, a holiday they celebrate, their heritage, they would be allowed to do that,” Johnson said. “The sharing of pronouns is a practice meant to signal to others that they are safe to disclose their trans status with them. This ban actively robs state employees from promoting that.”

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