Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, is under criticism for blocking GOP-led legislation that would have barred transgender students from participation on school sports teams that do not match their biological sex.
In a letter to state lawmakers on Tuesday, Evers stated that the bill he vetoed “fails to comport with our Wisconsin values.” Assembly Bill 377 passed both chambers of the state’s Republican-controlled legislature earlier this year.
“I am vetoing this bill in its entirety because I object to codifying discrimination into state statute and the Wisconsin State Legislature’s ongoing efforts to perpetuate hateful and discriminatory rhetoric and policies targeting LGBTQ Wisconsinites, including our transgender and gender nonconforming kids,” Evers said in a statement.
“This type of legislation, and the harmful rhetoric it begets by pursuing it, harms LGBT Wisconsinites’ and kids’ mental health, emboldens anti-LGBTQ harassment, bullying, and violence, and threatens the safety and dignity of LGBTQ Wisconsinites, especially our LGBTQ kids,” he went on to say.
Evers said on Tuesday that he will veto “any bill that makes Wisconsin a less safe, less inclusive, and less welcoming place for LGBTQ people and kids.”
The legislation would have specifically prevented “male students from participating on an athletic team or in an athletic sport designated for females under par.”
Shortly after announcing the veto, Evers posted a video of himself rejecting the plan on social media, adding, “I just vetoed Republicans’ anti-LGBTQ bill to ban trans and gender nonconforming kids from participating in school sports teams that align with their gender identity.”
Riley Gaines, the former NCAA swimmer who has seemingly become the embodiment of fairness in women’s athletics after being forced to compete against biological men, slammed Evers’ decision to reject the bill.
“Giving love and respect is not done by allowing girls to be injured and have their opportunities stolen,” commented Paula Scanlan, a spokesman for the Independent Women’s Forum, in response to Evers.
Adrianne Curry, a model and actress, also commented on the governor’s decision, accusing him of disrespecting women.
“FYI, you despise all women and want us to fail in every way,” Curry stated in an email. “Thank you for hating women so much that you can’t even hide it in public.”
“That’ll show those girls,” said Tony Kinnett, an investigative columnist for the Daily Signal.
Another social media user responded with, “Sad day for women’s sports.”
The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) established a 2015 guideline to manage transgender high school athletes’ eligibility in the state, which Evers vetoed, claiming it “ignores”.
This legislation requires transgender females to undergo a full year of hormone therapy before they can play on female-designated sports teams, but it does not prohibit biological males from participating.
Evers also argued that the measure “may conflict with existing federal law,” citing the Education Department’s 2021 notice of interpretation, which stated “that the Title IX prohibition on discrimination on the basis of sex is inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity, which includes transgender students.”
The state assembly passed the proposal on a party-line vote of 63-35 in October, prior to Evers’ veto. State senators adopted the proposal in a 21-11 vote last month, largely along party lines, before it reached the governor’s desk.
Neither GOP-led chamber has the two-thirds majority needed to overturn Evers’ veto.
