Democratic Wisconsin governor vetoes bill to ban gender-affirming care for kids

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin's Democratic Governor Tony Evers on Wednesday vetoed a bill aimed at banning gender-affirming care for minors.

The veto was expected from Evers, who has pledged to reject any proposals from the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature that he deems harmful to LGBTQ+ youth.

The bill, which passed the Legislature in October, would ban gender-affirming surgeries, which are rare, as well as all forms of gender-affirming care for minors in Wisconsin, including puberty blockers and hormone treatments with estrogen and testosterone.

“Legislation like this, and the rhetoric generated by its pursuit, harms the mental health of LGBTQ people and children, encourages anti-LGBTQ hatred and violence, and threatens the safety and dignity of LGBTQ Wisconsinites” , Evers wrote in his veto message. “I will oppose any bill that makes Wisconsin a less safe, less inclusive and less welcoming place for LGBTQ people and children.”

Public hearings on the proposal earlier this year brought dozens of people to the Capitol to testify against the opposition.

Republican supporters of the measure suggested that medical professionals' opinions on gender-affirming care could change in the future and that current treatments could be irreversible. Gender-affirming care has been available in the United States for more than a decade and is endorsed by major medical associations.

“While the Governor's veto of this legislation is certainly not surprising, it is a stark reminder of how out of touch Governor Evers is with reality,” Republican Senator Duey Stroebel said in a statement. “Protecting children from invasive and irreversible medical interventions is the right decision from both a scientific and ethical perspective.”

At least 22 states have enacted laws limiting or banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, and most of those states are facing lawsuits over the measures. Gender confirmation surgeries on minors are rare: Fewer than 3,700 surgeries were performed in the U.S. on patients ages 12 to 18 between 2016 and 2019, according to a study published in August.

The bill that Evers vetoed on Wednesday was one of several proposals targeting transgender people that he has vowed to reject.

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Harm Venhuizen is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.