Gov. Andy Beshear, AG Daniel Cameron clash over gender reassignment surgery for children

By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today

During his weekly Team Kentucky news conference, Gov. Andy Beshear again voiced his opposition to gender reassignment surgery for minors and took a swipe at his Republican challenger, Attorney General Daniel Cameron, for emphasizing the issue.

“Daniel Cameron has taken this race to the gutter in a way I’ve never seen,” Beshear said. “Right now, I think if you ask him about climate change, I think he’ll say it’s caused by children in gender reassignment surgeries.”

Cameron has accused Beshear of lying about whether he supports transgender procedures for children. As Kentucky Today reported, the University of Kentucky’s Transform Health clinic confirms that it has performed a small number of “non-genital” gender reassignment surgeries, contradicting Beshear’s claim that such procedures do not happen in Kentucky.

“He said these procedures are not happening in Kentucky, but the truth is simple. In March, a University of Kentucky clinic admitted it performed gender reassignment surgeries on minors to members of the General Assembly,” said Cameron on Thursday. “The letter was sent to Rep. James Tipton (R-Taylorsville) and was quoted on the floor of the State Senate. The letter shows that these surgeries did, in fact, occur and were occurring when Andy Beshear vetoed Senate Bill 150.”

Lawmakers overrode Beshear’s veto of SB 150, the sweeping transgender legislation that, among other things, bans gender reassignment procedures on minors.

Beshear again said he was unaware such surgeries were being performed in Kentucky and that he opposes them.

“Major medical-providing groups said they did not happen in Kentucky. That letter was new to me, although apparently it was sent to someone else months earlier, which leads to questions on its own.”

Beshear went on to criticize Cameron for pushing the issue.

“The only person exposing our children to this type of information is Daniel Cameron,” he said. “Putting millions of dollars of commercials on TV every day, so that the kids they don’t want to see this information, see it. They should stop. They should take it down.”

Meanwhile, a new poll released on Thursday by Public Policy Polling, shows Beshear leading Cameron 49-41%.

“I believe people want a governor that talks about the things that impact us most: jobs, economic development, public safety, public education, infrastructure, health care. Those are the things parents worry about at night,” said Beshear. “I think what you’ve seen in this race is the difference between vision and division. While I’m trying to talk about a better life for our families and good jobs, my opponent is obsessed over kids and gender reassignment surgeries.”