<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596824087253.png" alt="Rep. Stephanie Byers, a Wichita Democrat, is the first transgender lawmaker to serve in the Kansas Statehouse." />
 <figcaption>Rep. Stephanie Byers, a Wichita Democrat, is the first transgender lawmaker to serve in the Kansas Statehouse.</figcaption>
 </figure>By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-06-10/rep-stephanie-byers-the-first-transgender-lawmaker-in-kansas-will-not-seek-a-second-term">Kansas News Service</a>The first openly transgender lawmaker in Kansas will not seek another term in the Kansas House.Rep.
 Stephanie Byers, a Wichita Democrat, is also the first transgender 
Native American woman elected to a state legislature, and one of few 
Native Americans in the Kansas House or Senate.The Kansas 
Secretary of State’s Office said on Friday that Byers has withdrawn as a
 candidate for Kansas House of Representatives District 86.Byers didn’t immediately respond to requests for an interview, but tweeted that she was stepping down to focusing on family.“My
 wife and I have aging parents with major health issues and we are 
placing them first. Today I am withdrawing my bid for re-election so we 
can focus on their needs,” the <a href="https://twitter.com/ByersForKansas/status/1535295623750201347" target="_blank">tweet read</a>. “It has been an honor to serve the people of KS House 86, and the indigenous and LGBTQI of all KS.”She <a href="https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2022-05-07/kansas-first-transgender-lawmaker-reflects-on-emotionally-charged-legislative-session" target="_blank">spoke to KCUR last month</a> about this year’s session, during which lawmakers debated multiple bills that targeted LGBTQ people.“This
 (session) has been tough,” she told Nomin Ujiyediin. “We knew going in 
that we were going to see legislation that was going to attack the trans
 community. It was accompanied by hateful comments on social media. 
Hateful emails.”Byers said many people had stepped forward to 
voice their support for her, but “there’s an emotional exhaustion that 
comes from having those repeated attacks over and over again.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">If you happen to go to the First Americans Museum during Pride Month (<a href="https://twitter.com/FAMokMuseum?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FAMokMuseum</a>) check out their Pride Display. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ksleg?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ksleg</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ChickasawNation?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChickasawNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/z29ld1zDZP">pic.twitter.com/z29ld1zDZP</a>&mdash; Representative Stephanie Byers (@ByersForKansas) <a href="https://twitter.com/ByersForKansas/status/1534674903412228096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 8, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>Byers, a retired teacher, also opposed the Republican-controlled Legislature’s stance on key education issues.That includes bills described by Republicans as <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-03-22/the-kansas-senate-just-approved-a-plan-to-let-parents-weigh-in-on-whats-taught-in-public-schools" target="_blank">parental rights legislation</a> designed to help parents challenge curriculum and library books that they disapprove of.Byers also <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-04-28/kansas-lawmakers-fall-a-few-votes-short-of-banning-transgender-athletes-from-womens-sports" target="_blank">opposed the attempt</a> to bar transgender girls and women from playing on girls’ and women’s sports teams at public schools.Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly used her veto to block both from becoming law and lawmakers failed to override her.Byers said teachers face an increasingly difficult work environment.“It’s
 not just if someone’s going to come in and you know bring a firearm,” 
she said. “Now it’s also someone’s going to come in and take my 
textbooks out of my classroom and tell me I can’t teach that anymore.”“Those
 types of things, it just adds stress onto stress,” she said. “When you 
take a 10,000 foot view, it really looks like an intentional undermining
 and destabilizing of American public education.”Democrat Silas Miller and Republican Rick Lindsey have filed to run for Byers’ seat.Celia
 Llopis-Jepsen reports on consumer health for the Kansas News Service. 
You can follow her on Twitter @celia_LJ or email her at celia@kcur.org.

First transgender lawmaker in Kan. will not seek a second term