Indiana Republican lawmakers on Tuesday banned transgender girls from playing on girls’ sports teams in their schools, overturning the veto of Gov. Eric Holcomb, a fellow Republican who said the measure did not address any urgent issues. expose the state to lawsuits.
The repeal made Indiana the last conservative state to enact legislation that blocked transgender girls or women from playing on sports teams that align with their gender identity. While the details of the laws vary from place to place, at least 17 other states have introduced restrictions on participation in transgender sports in recent years, according to data from Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy group.
The participation of transgender girls and women in sports has become an increasingly divisive issue among political leaders and sports sanctioning groups, who have struggled to address the issue in a way that respects transgender athletes and the concerns that some they have raised about competitive equity. This year, Lia Thomas, a member of the University of Pennsylvania women’s swimming team, became the first openly transgender woman to win an NCAA swimming title.
Indiana’s cancellation was no surprise. The bill passed both houses of the Republican-controlled Househouse by a wide margin this year, and annulments in Indiana only require a simple majority in the House and Senate.
“Your vote will send a clear message that Indiana will protect the integrity of women’s sports,” said State Representative Michelle Davis, a Republican and former college sportswoman who sponsored the bill shortly before the House voted to repeal it. -lo.
The annulment was approved with a 67-28 vote in the House and a 32-15 vote in the Senate.
Across the country, transgender sports bills have attracted widespread, but not universal, support from Republican politicians. In Utah, lawmakers overturned the veto of Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican. Officials in Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and Utah have enacted new measures this year, joining several others that have done so since 2020. In Kansas and Kentucky, Democratic governors vetoed similar bills passed by Republican-controlled legislatures. The Kansas veto was upheld, but Kentucky lawmakers voted in favor of enacting its restrictions on the governor’s objections.
Legislation on transgender issues has not been limited to sports participation, and some states also aim for access to transgender bathing and attention to children’s gender affirmations.
Mr. Holcomb, a Republican in his second term, vetoed the bill in March, diverging from many other Republican governors who enthusiastically signed similar measures. Mr. Holcomb then said the bill, known as HEA 1041, could be challenged in court if it became law. He also questioned whether he was resolving any urgent issues, and wrote in a letter to lawmakers that “the presumption of the policy set out in HEA 1041 is that there is an existing problem in K-12 sports in Indiana that requires additional state government. ”
“It implies that the goals of consistency and equity in competitive women’s sport are not currently being met,” the governor added in his letter. “After a thorough review, I find no evidence to support any claim, even if I support the overall goal.”
Many Democrats and transgender rights advocates agreed with the governor and urged Republican lawmakers to veto it. Opponents of the bill met at the State Palace before the vote.
“We are spending our time making children feel bad about themselves,” said state Sen. Shelli Yoder, a Democrat who said she was concerned that legislation could harm children’s mental health. Ms Yoder predicted that “hatred and discrimination against the bill will be shown in court”.
Even after the veto of Mr. Holcomb, the Indiana bill maintained the support of many of the most powerful Republicans in the state. Attorney General Todd Rokita has repeatedly praised the measure, saying it would ensure a uniform playing field for young athletes, and vowed to defend the state from any lawsuits that may arise.
The drive to restrict the rights of transgender youth
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A growing trend. Measures that could transform the lives of young transgender people are at the heart of a heated political debate across America. The following is how some states are addressing the issue:
Utah. A day after the decision in Indiana, Gov. Spencer Cox, also a Republican, vetoed a similar bill that would have banned young transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports. Republican lawmakers later voted to overturn the veto and enact the legislation.
Other states. Since 2019, lawmakers have introduced bills that seek to ban transgender youth from joining school sports teams based on their gender identities. They have become laws in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.
“Hoosiers will not be harassed by awakened groups that threaten girls’ sports,” Mr. Rokita this month in an article published by The Hamilton County Reporter, a local newspaper.
Shortly after the cancellation vote, the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana announced that it had filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a 10-year-old transgender girl who plays on her women’s softball team. school. The lawsuit seeks to block the application of the new law.
Mr. Holcomb, whose term limits prevent him from returning to office in 2024, came to power in Indiana in the months after Governor Mike Pence signed a measure that his supporters referred to as the “Restoration of Religious Freedom Act.” “in 2015.
This law was introduced as a way to protect religious business owners from having to provide cakes and flowers at same-sex weddings, but it sparked fierce opposition from even some of the most prominent companies. of Indiana. It was quickly rewritten to explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Mr. Holcomb, to whom Mr. Pence was appointed lieutenant governor after the reaction to the law, he ran as a Republican candidate for governor in 2016 after Mr. Pence was selected as Donald J. Trump’s teammate.
During his time as governor, Mr. Holcomb has adopted many conservative policies, including a measure he signed this year that allowed people in Indiana to carry weapons without permission. But he has sometimes taken a more moderate stance than other Republicans, frustrating some conservatives with virus restrictions in the early stages of the pandemic.