Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers vetoes ban on transgender athletes competing in high school sports
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers on Tuesday vetoed a bill that would ban transgender high school athletes from competing on teams that do not match their gender at birth.
Evers, a Democrat, had vowed to veto the bill since it was introduced by Republicans in the state Legislature.
Republicans control the legislature and Democrats could not come up with the votes to prevent the bill’s passage.
The state leader signed the veto at the Capitol, flanked by Democratic lawmakers, transgender advocates and the mayor of the city of Madison.
Republicans in Parliament do not have the supermajority needed to override Evers’ veto.
Evers said Tuesday that the bill “harms the mental health of LGBTQ Wisconsinites and children, encourages anti-LGBTQ harassment, bullying and violence, and threatens the safety and dignity of LGBTQ Wisconsinites, especially our LGBTQ children.”
The bill had proposed limiting the ability of transgender high school students to compete on teams that align with their gender identity.
Evers called the proposed law a “radical policy” that “targeted LGBTQ individuals.”
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers on Tuesday vetoed a bill that would have banned transgender high school athletes from competing on teams that do not match their gender at birth
Wisconsin Republicans who supported the bill argued it was intended to protect the fairness of competitive sports for non-transgender athletes.
However, opponents of the bill argued that there was no concrete reason to pass the ban in Wisconsin, where they say there is no problem with transgender athletes in high school and that the bill is therefore a form of discrimination.
The state’s interscholastic athletic association requires transgender athletes to undergo a certain amount of hormone therapy before they want to compete on the teams of their choice.
The policy is modeled after a similar policy for transgender NCAA athletes.
At least 20 U.S. states have passed some version of a ban on college-age transgender athletes.
A Biden administration proposal to ban such legislation is nearing completion this year, after several delays and strong resistance.
The rule as it currently stands asserts that a blanket ban on transgender athletes playing on the teams of their self-identified gender violates Title IX, the gender equality law enacted more than half a century ago.