When state lawmakers in Kansas began their two-hour policy debate on Senate Bill 208, Layshia Clarendon didn’t run to the nearest computer and try to find a livestream of the event. She didn’t search for headlines, where the stories would’ve included vitriolic references to “biological boys,” “natural-born females” and even a nod to “old-fashioned chivalry.”
That wasn’t happening. Not on this day.
“I don’t engage with the everyday. It’s too hard,” said Clarendon, a guard with the New York Liberty. “I’ve had to protect myself. These people are having a debate about my existence; I can’t digest that.