EXPLORING GENDER & IDENTITIES
Co-Hosted by American Public Square, the Johnson County Library and Kansas City PBS
INDEFINITELY POSTPONED
PERHAPS OUR MOST CHALLENGING PROGRAM TO DATE
In 2023, Missouri witnessed a heightened climate of debate and controversy surrounding transgender rights. Issues such as access to healthcare, inclusion in sports, and discrimination protections sparked intense discussions and legislative actions.
While some advocated for greater recognition and protection of transgender individuals, others opposed such measures, leading to a polarized atmosphere with significant legal and societal implications for transgender communities in the state. In Missouri alone, two major bills impacting transgender people were approved and several others saw action in the legislature. While Kansas legislation was fewer in number, there were nevertheless multiple pieces of legislation that specifically targeted the transgender community.
It was in this climate that American Public Square felt it important to have a conversation on the topic - not on whether transgender individuals exist, but to explore the implications of these seemingly targeted pieces of legislation.
Developing this program was a responsibility APS did not take lightly. The topic was researched extensively. A wide variety of individuals were asked to provide guidance and direction to ensure the program was developed in a responsible way. A lengthy list of potential panelists was curated and explored and conversations occurred with those individuals over the course of several months leading up to the event.
That work proved this was a particularly challenging topic - one executive director, Claire Bishop described as "perhaps our most challenging program to date." But challenging topics are at the heart of what APS does and the program came together as the September event date approached.
On September 20, shortly after a panel preparation call ended and six days prior to the program, two individuals representing the transgender community withdrew their participation from the program.
With little time available to find and effectively prepare new panelists, APS made the challenging decision to indefinitely postpone the event - something that had never been done in the history of the organization. A statement provided to the community can be seen below.
"For ten years, American Public Square at Jewell has provided the community the opportunity to hear civil, fact-based discussions about some of the most prominent and controversial topics of our time. We deeply believe in the power of conversation, the evaluation of facts, and the deliberation of diverse points of view. They are mechanisms for critical thinking, compromise, and mutual respect.
We have never been faced with cancelling an APS program—until now. The September 26 program, “Exploring Gender & Identities” hosted by APS, Kansas City PBS and the Johnson County Library will not take place as scheduled.
We are disappointed to take this step. We are not afraid of controversy, nor do we feel the need to surrender to opposing voices. We simply believe we can no longer honor our mission through this program.
APS’ mission is focused on improving the tone and quality of public discourse and creating paths toward actionable common ground. One way we do this is by engaging diverse segments of our society to ensure multiple perspectives are explored. Upon the cancellation of two panelists invited to represent the transgender community, we are now unable to present the community with a conversation we feel effectively represents the diverse perspectives of this issue.
With legislation targeting the rights of transgender individuals continuing to develop in Kansas, Missouri and across the nation, we still believe this is an important conversation to have. We will continue to explore ways to host this conversation and we will do it for…
- Transgender individuals who have been targeted, feel unsafe and are wearied by their fight for liberties most other Americans have.
- Allies who feel deeply protective of their loved ones, friends, and colleagues, seeking to live comfortably in their own skin.
- Women who have fought throughout history for their own liberties and have questions, concerns, or strong beliefs about how society will navigate the changing definitions of what it is to be a woman.
- Those who want to ensure patients and providers effectively understand the implications of gender-affirming care if it is to be available at young ages.
- Citizens who know little about these issues at all and seek to better understand them so they can effectively develop their own point of view.
We express our deep gratitude to the panelists who planned to participate in this conversation, and we look forward to hearing from them in the future.
To the transgender community—our intent for this program has never been to debate your personhood.
To close, we reiterate a message from APS Founder and CEO, Allan Katz, in his June 15 note, “Selecting our Panelists.”
“It is not our role to temper strong emotions or limit perspectives—it is our job to expose diverse and divergent perspectives…. [because] we believe exposure to diverse and divergent perspectives is a constructive learning tool—a way to understand the nuance and complexities of the issues we face as a nation.”
We look forward to continuing to explore these nuances and complexities with you. See you in the audience soon.
-The American Public Square at Jewell team
