Who is Cheryl Helmer? Kansas GOP lawmaker slams Rep Stephanie Byers, claims ‘transgenders raped little girls’
A Republican legislator, Cheryl Helmer, has attracted negative attention after she disrespected a transgender colleague and also claimed that “our wee little girls in elementary and middle and high school have been raped by these supposedly transgenders” as she replied to an email from a transfeminine University student.
Brenan Riffel, a University of Kansas graduate student, had written to the Kansas state lawmaker showing their opposition to a bill co-sponsored by Helmer that prohibits gender reassignment surgery for minors. The politician wrote them back saying, “Now, personally I do not appreciate the huge transgender female who is now in our restrooms in the Capitol,” referring to the the Wichita Democrat, Rep Stephanie Byers, which she later confirmed in an interview with the Topeka Capital-Journal.
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In the April 23 mail, Helmer noted: “It is quite uncomforting. I have asked the men if they would like a woman in their restroom and they freaked out.” She further reportedly insisted that “our wee little girls in elementary and middle and high school are having to be exposed and many have been raped, sodomized and beaten in the restrooms by these supposedly transgenders who may or may not be for real.”
The response from the Republican from Mulvane also included, “As a Biology major, I understand the difference biologically between a male and a woman. No surgeon can cut, remove, wop, add to [or] change the biology that is chemically occurring in each and every fiber, bone and molecule of every human being,” before she added: “It is totally, 1000 percent unfair that a man can ‘feel’ like a woman and change his sex to woman and compete against women, alleviating any semblance of WOMEN's scholarships, women's college sports, high school sports, etc. Offended? Disdain? That doesn't even begin to speak for the women who are being cheated out by males now dominating the women's sports world.
“I believe the only fair proposition is if transgender males compete in their own category and must fund it themselves, as previously known Bruce Jenner suggested. Now known Ms. Jenner says its the biggest theft, and cheating for the transgender males to compete against natural biological females.”
Riffel then shared Helmer’s reply on their Facebook page while slamming her. They wrote, “Transgender people are not transitioning to participate in sports or to sneak into bathrooms. We just want to be ourselves. We want to flourish, love, and care about others while being our true self. The bathroom fallacy and the argument that transgender people (this is typically aimed at transfeminine individuals) transition to compete better in sports are lies. These arguments are used to justify bigotry and prejudice.” Riffel concluded their lengthy post saying, “We don’t need you to understand us. We need you show us compassion.”
Byers — the state's first transgender lawmaker — has now reacted to Helmer’s remarks. She said, “From someone that I work with, someone that I speak to, as we get out of our cars and take the elevator, no. And I mean, I'm not shocked by it. I know who I am. And I know what the ideology is, as opposed to people like me, and I'm sure these discussions have been going on behind closed doors for the two years that I've been here.”
Byers added: “It's all conflated intentionally to create this image in the public, that trans people are to be feared. And how do you respond to that? You know, I don't think of myself as a scary person. Can I be intimidating? I bet I can. I'm sure there are people that are scared to death of me. But not my nine grandkids.”
House Speaker Ron Ryckman, R-Olathe, also condemned Helmer, calling her statement “unfortunate”. In a statement, Kansas House Democratic Leader Tom Sawyer noted: “If Rep. Helmer is so brazenly bigoted in documented, recorded correspondence with the general public, it isn't hard to imagine what she says behind closed doors. More than outright hate, her dehumanizing commentary proves what we have known all along: The bill before us this year in the Legislature is not about women's sports. It is not about empowering young girls. It is not about equality. No, instead, it is quite the opposite. It is about deep hate of ‘others.’ It is about endorsing state-sanctioned discrimination against a population already subject to higher rates of assault and suicide.”
Byers also took to Facebook to thank people for support as she wrote: “I truly appreciate the outpouring of support for me in this moment. Sadly, we know that, like the part of the iceberg we see above water, the Rep’s comments are simply the tip of a bigger problem within the Republican side of the Kansas Legislature. A lot of energy can be expended trying to get the specific Rep to apologize. Maybe that energy should be focused on encouraging the State Senate and State House to sustain Governor Laura Kelly’s veto on SB 160 - the bill that would ban trans girls from sports?”
But Helmer has not toned down her stand following the backlash as she told the Capital-Journal, “We've had girls beaten up by boys that say, 'I feel like becoming girls today. So that's not fair either. And that's what I was trying to come across with. But liberals don't listen to us.”
She also took to Facebook to defend herself by writing: “First- you must remember that the media only publishes what the liberal left want you to hear so they have not told you of the supposedly transgender boys acting as girls who have harassed, raped, sodomized, harmed in school locker restrooms and who may also be under the pretext of competing in athletic Girl events against the girls.
“I write strictly against Conversion therapy for babies when parents can decide the sex of their baby after it is born and have the doctor begin surgical and hormoneTherapy. Some states have legalized this at taxpayer expense. Let’s not allow this injustice in taking a babies basic freedoms of choice away from him/her and cause major mental disassociation problems throughout life for Gods precious child.”