Bills attempting to ban male-to-female transgender students from girls sports have sprung up all over the country, and Indiana is no exception However, in somewhat of a surprise, Gov. Eric Holcomb vetoed the bill.
The bill in question would have barred transgender female students from participating in female sports. Additionally, schools would have to designate a sport for a specific gender and create a system to handle complaints about potential violations. It also would have opened the door for lawsuits.
Gov. Holcomb blocking the legislation comes as a surprise to some. He is a Republican in a red state. It is worth noting, however, that is veto isn’t necessarily a departure from the party line. On the contrary, in a letter explaining his decision he says he supports “the overall goal” of House Bill 1041 but vetoed it due to lack of “clarity” and consistency. He also cited the fact there were virtually no examples of this type of situation occurring in Indiana.
Gov. Holcomb is not the only red state governor to veto such a bill. Utah’s Governor Spencer Cox also vetoed a similarly worded bill, though for different reasons than Holcomb. Cox is expecting a veto override.
Transgender participation in sports has taken center stage as a political issue and has only grown in recent months partially due to the success of Lia Thomas, a transgender female competing at the NCAA level.
Read Gov. Holcomb’s full explanation here.