Nearly two dozen people were arrested and subpoenaed on Wednesday in the Kentucky Capitol for criminal trespassing after protesting a Republican-backed bluegrass state law to ban transgender practices on minors.
The protest — which came as the State House voted to override Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto Senate bill 150 — led to the arrests of 19 people, according to a statement from Captain Paul Blanton, a spokesman for the Kentucky State Police (KSP).
“The Sergeant of Arms has asked KSP to help restore order to the House of Representatives chambers today. KSP gave each individual the opportunity to leave or be arrested without coercion,” Blanton said. “KSP arrested 19 people. You were subpoenaed on a third-degree criminal trespassing charge. The Franklin County District Court authorized the individuals to be released on their own.”
Last week, bescher vetoed the law bans the transgender process for minors and restricts bathrooms based on sex. In addition, the bill will ban teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools and empower teachers to disallow the use of a student’s preferred pronoun.
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Nineteen people were arrested Wednesday at the Kentucky Capitol and charged with criminal trespassing after they protested a Republican-backed bluegrass state law to ban transgender practices on minors. (AP Photo/Bruce Schreiner)
The GOP-led Kentucky Legislature, which passed the law by a sufficient number of votes, overrode Beshear’s veto when it met Wednesday for the final two days of its term.
Photos and videos shared by local reporters on social media showed the pro-LGBTQ protesters acting chaotically as the House of Representatives voted to override Beshear’s veto on the measure.
Video shared by Lexington Herald-Leader reporter Austin Horn showed a screaming protester who had his Hands stuck in cable ties in the midst of the house vote.
A person holding a sign shouts during a rally to protest the passage of SB 150 March 29, 2023 at the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)
According to Horn, hundreds of Kentucky students gathered on the steps of the state Capitol Annex to protest the repeal, and many “protesters moved in after the legislature slammed in, chanting and jeering loudly from the halls of the Capitol.”
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“At first, Capitol Security and the Kentucky State Police had trouble removing the protesters from the gallery,” Horn reports. “After about half an hour, they resorted to zip ties to arrest the protesters and lead them out of the Capitol.”
While protests are welcome in the Capitol, House Speaker David Osborne, a Republican, said the behavior of those protesting Senate Bill 150 did not meet the expected “level of decency.”
Ken Tagious, a genderqueer “clown nun,” looks on during a rally to protest the passage of SB 150 March 29, 2023 at the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)
“We welcome everyone to be here to participate in their government and want everyone to be here to participate in their government. (But) we expect a reasonable level of decency to be maintained in order for us to conduct our business. We felt it was important to continue with the business that we did,” Osborne said, according to a report.
Beshear said in a written veto message that Senate Bill 150 “permits too much government interference in personal health issues and deprives parents of the freedom to make medical decisions for their children.”
Youth from various areas of Kentucky gather in front of the Kentucky State Capitol Annex on Wednesday, March 29, 2023 to protest SB 150. (Marcus Dorsey/Lexington Herald-Leader/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
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In his message, Beshear warned that the impact of the bill would include an increase in youth suicides. The governor said, “My faith teaches me that all children are children of God and Senate Bill 150 will endanger the children of Kentucky.”
Beshear’s veto comes as he seeks re-election for a second term this year in Republican-leaning Kentucky, and his veto could resonate with Republicans November election.
Jon Brown of Fox News and The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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