Kansas Democrat’s anti-trans vote was terrible — but it’s no reason he should resign | Opinion

Ongoing calls for Kansas state Rep. Marvin Robinson to resign reflect a perilous ideological absolutism that infects modern politics. One might disapprove of his vote to overturn a gubernatorial veto, but none should question his right and responsibility to cast it.

To be clear, we unequivocally disagree with Robinson’s vote last week to override Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of House Bill 2238. It enacts a discriminatory law that puts a target on the tiny minority of transgender K-12 and college students, barring them from competing in girls sports.

Republican lawmakers have been pushing this issue for the past few years. It is part of a national effort by the party and its vast network of dark-money billionaire backers to trump up a social issue. They disguise bigotry with manufactured care for female athletes. The problem the bill seeks to address is not really a problem. One can count the number of trans participants in Kansas high school sports on one hand.

GOP lawmakers passed similar laws in 2021 and 2022 but lacked the votes to override Kelly’s vetoes. This year, they had enough. Kansas now joins an ignoble club of states that needlessly ostracize young trans people.

Robinson voted against the bill in February when it came up in the Kansas House, but he joined Republicans for the override vote. He said that he changed his vote because of the way LGBT advocates had approached him in the intervening weeks. He called them “rude and insulting and attacking.”

Whether that’s a good enough reason to change his vote is something voters in Robinson’s Kansas City, Kansas, district will get to decide if he runs for reelection. The override would have happened with or without him.

That’s not soon enough for the activists, though. They feel burned by what they see as betrayal. LGBT-aligned groups are calling for Robinson to resign. That includes some of his legislative colleagues. Members of the Kansas Democratic Party’s LGBTQ+ Caucus and the Progressive Caucus have called for him to step down. The group Kansas Young Democrats also has demanded his resignation.

“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,” said Brandie Armstrong, chair of the party LGBTQ+ caucus. “Democrats barely have representation in Kansas as is; the least someone who claims to be a part of our party can do is represent our ideals.”

Last time we checked, Democrats claimed to be a big-tent party, a broad coalition of Americans who cherish diversity. Since when have they demanded unflinching loyalty to what one part of the coalition deems unassailable “Democratic values”? Is there no longer room for diversity of thought?

This is hardly a problem unique, or particularly common among Democrats, of course. Republicans in recent years have attacked their own, and often. Look no further than the fate of GOP members of Congress who voted to impeach Donald Trump. Most didn’t return to Washington.

Yet Democrats in Topeka compare poorly to Republicans, at least this week. The sole Republican to vote against ousting three Democrats from the Tennessee General Assembly last week has not faced the same sort of backlash despite defying his party. Indeed, party leaders told him to vote his conscience.

Is it any wonder that an increasing number of Americans choose not to affiliate with either major political party? More Kansans now are unaffiliated than are registered Democrats.

Unwillingness to accept that allies might have diverse viewpoints on some issues is the path to dysfunction, and even tyranny. A political party — and politics in general — is strongest when elected officials recognize that not every member of the party will agree on every issue. When Democrats or Republicans demand unwavering fealty, they not only alienate potential allies but also prevent the consensus building and compromise necessary for a successful democracy.

Robinson cast a bad vote, but it was his vote to cast. He shouldn’t resign. If Democrats want to be a broad-based coalition, they must remember that occasional dissent is healthy for their party, and for Kansas.