Kamala harris’ vp pick tim walz transformed minnesota into a ‘trans refuge’ state

Kamala Haris’ progressive running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, helped to transform Minnesota into a “trans refuge” state — signing legislation to protect gender-affirming care and to provide tampons

in boys’ bathrooms at schools. Walz, 60, a former high school teacher, signed the so-called “Trans Refuge” bill into law in April 2023, prohibiting the enforcement of out-of-state

subpoenas, arrest warrants and extradition requests for people who travel to the North Star State from other states for gender-affirming care. A month earlier, the Democrat signed an

executive order protecting gender-affirming care in Minnesota, including puberty blockers, surgeries and hormone therapy.  The action also called upon state agencies not to approve health

insurance plans that didn’t cover gender-affirming operations.  “As states across the country move to ban access to gender-affirming care, we want LGBTQ Minnesotans to know they will

continue to be safe, protected, and welcome in Minnesota,” Walz said in a statement at the time.  EXPLORE MORE “In Minnesota, you will not be punished for seeking or providing medical care,”

he added. The move came after a slew of red states had imposed a series of restrictions on those interventions. “In this state, hate has no home,” Walz said during a signing ceremony. “In

this state, love and acceptance is what we preach.”  The governor signed that order next to a 12-year-old trans girl, Hildie Edwards. Last year, Walz also signed an education finance bill

that featured language stipulating that all public and charter schools in the state “must provide students with access to menstrual products at no charge” for grades 4 to 12 and that they

“must be available to all menstruating students.” Those products included “pads, tampons, or other similar products used in connection with the menstrual cycle,” the bill stated. The bill’s

sponsor, state Rep. Sandra Feist, a Democrat, claimed that data suggested as much as “10% of menstruating youth miss school days because of a lack of access to menstrual products.” During

the writing of the bill, state lawmakers rejected an amendment to include the word “female” in that language. The measure was ultimately part of a broader education finance bill that ramped

up spending for education by 10.2% over two years, amounting to a total of about $23.2 billion. That same year, Walz backed the North Star Promise Program, to guarantee free college to

families in the state who earned under $80,000 a year. Allies of former President Donald Trump quickly pummeled Walz over his progressive record, seeking to turn the tables on him after he

described the GOP ticket as “weird.” “What could be weirder than signing a bill requiring schools to stock tampons in boys’ bathrooms?” the Trump-aligned Make America Great Again PAC wrote

on X alongside the ad. Harris, 59 announced that she was tapping Walz to serve as her running mate Tuesday following a rushed process to determine her No. 2. The selection drew praise from a

variety of LGBTQ advocacy groups.  The vice president also reportedly considered Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), among others. “I

am proud to announce that I’ve asked Governor Tim Walz to be my running mate. One of the things that stood out to me about Tim is how his convictions on fighting for middle-class families

run deep,” Harris said in a statement Tuesday. “It’s personal. As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he’s delivered for working families like his own. We are going to build a

great partnership. We start out as underdogs but I believe together, we can win this election,” she added. Harris and Walz are set to stump together in Philadelphia later in the day on

Tuesday.