Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin speaks during the 145th NRA Convention inside Freedom Hall on Friday afternoon. May 20, 2016(Photo: Alton Strupp/The Courier-Journal)
FRANKFORT, Ky. – Kentucky is joining 11 other states in their lawsuit against the federal government over its transgender bathroom guidelines.
“The federal government has no authority to dictate local school districts’ bathroom and locker room policies,” Gov. Matt Bevin said in a statement Friday announcing Kentucky will join the case. “The Obama administration’s transgender policy ‘guidelines’ are an absurd federal overreach into a local issue.”
Also in his news release, the Republican governor took a swipe at Democratic Attorney General Andy Beshear.
“Unfortunately, Attorney General Andy Beshear is unwilling to protect Kentucky’s control over local issues,” he said. “Therefore, my administration will do so by joining this lawsuit. We are committed to protecting the 10th Amendment and fighting federal overreach into state and local issues.”
Beshear responded that Bevin’s statement “is not truthful.”
Beshear’s statement said, The Office of the Attorney General has been closely reviewing this matter. On the day the federal government issued its guidance, the governor stated he was researching legal options. I expected to be consulted on those options, but my office has not received a single phone call from the governor or his attorneys on this matter … Sadly, this is another example of the governor’s office playing politics instead of trying to work with us.”
I’d like to think these Republicans are going to follow the endless history of monarchs who ignored their better-informed advisers and end up deposed, or worse.
At this point, I’m having very nasty thoughts about these regressive assholes, and their various states. I know it’s not every single person in every state, but fuck, I keep getting images in my head of Bugs Bunny taking a saw and cutting loose certain states.
And they’re going to waste a lot of tax-payer money to do this, money that could be better spent. And I hope they lose, and end up paying out even more.
And then the regressives in their states will blame all transgender people for not having nice things, because they won’t be able to admit to themselves it’s their own prejudices.