Gov. Eric Holcomb of Indiana vetoed a bill on Monday that would have banned transgender girls from competing in school-sanctioned girls’ sports, taking a sharply different approach to the issue than 11 fellow Republican governors who have signed similar measures into law in recent years.
Mr. Holcomb stated that the bill, also known as H.E.A. 1041 would have likely been challenged in court. He also questioned whether it was solving any pressing issue, writing in a letter to lawmakers that “the presumption of the policy laid out in H.E.A. 1041 is that there is an existing problem in K-12 sports in Indiana that requires further state government intervention.”
“It implies that the goals of consistency and fairness in competitive female sports are not currently being met,” the governor added in his letter. “After thorough review, I find no evidence to support either claim even if I support the overall goal.”
Transgender girls and women are increasingly being excluded from sports participation. This has been a divisive topic for political leaders and sports sanctioning bodies. They have tried to deal with the issue in ways that respect transgender athletes and address some of the concerns some critics have raised. about competitive fairness. Last week, Lia Thomas, a member of the University of Pennsylvania’s women’s swimming team, became the first openly transgender woman to win an N.C.A.A. swimming title.
According to the Human Rights Campaign, an L.G.B.T., dozens of bills have been introduced by state legislators across the country since 2019. These bills would prohibit transgender youths participating in school sports that are consistent with their identities. advocacy group.
In October, Texas became the most populous state to bar transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports at public schools. Similar measures have been passed by Republican governors in Alabama, Arkansas and Florida, Idaho, Iowa. Montana, South Dakota. Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, and Mississippi.
The bill in Indiana, where the Republican-controlled Legislature passed it by comfortable margins, was cheered by some conservatives in the state. After its passage, the state’s Republican attorney general, Todd Rokita, called it “an important step in protecting youth sports.”
“We welcome the opportunity to defend this law if challenged in court,” Mr. Rokita said.
Democrats and transgender advocates have largely condemned the rush to pass legislation as cruelly and unnecessary. Some of them praised Holcomb’s veto, while others expressed concern that Indiana legislators might override it.
“Governor Holcomb did the right thing tonight in vetoing a bill that would only cause problems, not solve them, by targeting Indiana’s transgender children and making them the targets of exclusion and discrimination in their own schools,” said Cathryn Oakley, the state legislative director and senior counsel for the Human Rights Campaign.
Ms. Oakley warned that “transgender students in Indiana are not out of the woods yet.” With a majority vote in both the House and Senate, lawmakers could override Mr. Holcomb, a second-term governor who is barred by term limits from running again in 2024. Both chambers voted in favor of the bill by large majorities.
In Indiana, Mr. Holcomb was elected to power within the first few months of the resignation of the then-Gov. Mike Pence signed into law a so-called “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” in 2015.
That law was presented as a way to protect religious business owners from having to provide cakes and flowers to same-sex weddings, but it unleashed fierce opposition, including from some of Indiana’s most prominent businesses. It was quickly changed to prohibit discrimination based solely on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Mr. Holcomb, whom Mr. Pence appointed as lieutenant governor after the backlash to the religious freedom law, stepped in as the Republican nominee for governor in 2016 after Mr. Pence was selected as Donald J. Trump’s running mate.
While serving as governor, Holcomb supported many conservative policies. One example was Monday’s measure that allowed Indiana residents to own handguns without the need for a permit. He has taken a more moderate position than other Republicans at times, which frustrated some conservatives who were subject to virus restrictions during the initial stages of the pandemic.
Many Republicans across the country have passed laws restricting transgender participation in sports, but Mr. Holcomb isn’t the only one who rejects such measures.
Gov. Doug Burgum, North Dakota Republican, vetoed similar bills one year ago. Utah’s Governor. Spencer Cox, also a Republican, is expected to veto a bill that would have barred young transgender athletes from participating in girls’ sports.
Mr. Cox claimed that he was blindsided by state legislators in his own party on March 4, when they approved a final-minute bill and bypassed negotiations between Democrats and transgender rights advocates who had spent weeks trying to find a compromise.
After lawmakers approved the legislation, Mr. Cox addressed the transgender community in a news conference, saying: “We care about you. We love you. It’s going to be OK. We’re going to get through this together.”
Julie BosmanContributed reporting
Source: NY Times
