Utah governor vetoes bill banning trans girls in school sports

TATA Health International Holdings

22/03/2022 22:19

By Maria Caspani
    March 22 (Reuters) - Utah Governor Spencer Cox on Tuesday
vetoed a Republican-backed bill that would ban transgender girls
from participating in girls' sports in schools, calling it a
flawed measure with serious legal and financial risks.
    The veto came a day after another Republican governor, Eric
Holcomb of Indiana, halted a similar bill passed by that state's
legislature. 
    The two governors' actions are at odds with steps taken in a
number of other Republican-led states where transgender rights
have become a lightning rod in a broader U.S. culture war over
sexuality and gender identity.
    Governors in states including Texas, Alabama, Mississippi
and Iowa have signed into law bills that ban trans girls from
competing in girls' sports.
    In a letter explaining his veto, Cox said the Utah measure
would invite lawsuits that would "likely bankrupt the Utah High
School Athletic Association and result in millions of dollars in
legal fees for local school districts."
    He said he favored a measure that would protect "the
integrity of women’s sports" while also allowing some
participation by transgender youth, noting the state currently
has only four transgender students playing high school sports.
    "Rarely has so much fear and anger been directed at so few,"
Cox wrote
    "I don't understand what they are going through or why they
feel the way they do. But I want them to live," he added, citing
the high rates of trans youth reporting suicidality.
    Holcomb in Indiana also cited likely court challenges as a
reason for his veto.
    Republican lawmakers in both states on Tuesday said they
would try to override the governors' vetoes. Leaders of the Utah
Legislature said they would convene on Friday for a veto
override session.
    "We have been listening to our constituents, talking with
experts and we feel it's important to make decisions now that
protect athletes and ensure women are not edged out of their
sport," Utah state Senate President J. Stuart Adams said in a
statement.
    The Human Rights Campaign, an advocacy group for lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people, praised Cox for
rejecting what it called "discriminatory legislation."
    "He’s shown that he sees the humanity of the transgender
youth targeted by this legislation – something governors in
states like South Dakota and Iowa have refused to do," Cathryn
Oakley, the group's state legislative director and senior
counsel, said in a statement.

 (Reporting by Maria Caspani, Editing by Colleen Jenkins and
David Gregorio)
 ((maria.caspani@thomsonreuters.com; + 1 646 223 4074 ;))