Investigators with the Kansas State Board of Nursing have dropped their case initiated against a Kansas nurse accused of espousing anti-transgender rhetoric in her off-job social media posts, a charge Elaine Gebhardt maintained was a violation of her First Amendment rights.
A letter detailing the charge against her by the board said the allegation was that she “had been using social media to attack the transgender population, and to debase healthcare processes.”
Gephardt posted a letter from the state board this week as part of her announcement on “X” that the investigation had been dropped after she met with members of the boards investigatory subcommittee on December 9th.
The Sentinel: More details on Gebhardt’s story:
Gebhardt got support from conservative media, Libs of TikTok and from Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach who said his office would not pursue a prosecution against someone who’s state-issued licensed was threatened over a free speech issue. Savaged online by various liberals, queer and trans activist trolls, Gebhardt told The Sentinel she was proud to have stood for free speech.
“This investigation has shown that there is so much government overreach for people just standing and speaking the truth. I am so glad that the decision has been made to protect the First Amendment. No nurse or licensed professional should have to go through this. But I am glad that I was able to bring to light how far this has gone and what the government is trying to do to censor so many people.”
Members of the state board did not respond to emails from the Informer for comment.
Dane Hicks is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and the United States Marine Corps Officer Candidate School at Quantico, VA. He is the author of novels "The Skinning Tree" and "A Whisper For Help." As publisher of the Anderson County Review in Garnett, KS., he is a recipient of the Kansas Press Association's Boyd Community Service Award as well as more than 60 awards for excellence in news, editorial and photography.
