• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Towleroad Gay News

Gay Blog Towleroad: More than gay news | gay men

  • Travel
  • Sports
  • Law/Justice
  • Celebrities
  • Republicans
  • Madonna
  • Books
  • Men
  • Trans Rights
  • Royals
  • Monkeypox
  • Dexter Origins confirmed with plans for more serial killer spin offs
  • Retired, Single & Sexy! Tom Brady Holds His Hand Over His Private Parts In Nearly Nude Selfie — See Photo
  • Jazz Jennings Admits ‘Nervous’ Remark From Date Left Her Feeling ‘Uncomfortable’ In New Sneak Peek

Republican vetoes of transgender sports bans mark a rare split in culture wars

Towleroad March 25, 2022 Leave a Comment

Published by
Reuters
503304 origin 1

By James Oliphant and Maria Caspani

(Reuters) – Republican governors in Utah and Indiana this week rejected legislation banning transgender athletes from competing in girls’ sports, pushing back against a rising tide of similar Republican-sponsored legislation nationwide.

But the vetoes of those governors appear to be among the solitary voices in a party that has become increasingly fixated on polarizing cultural issues involving race, sex and gender as a cudgel to win over suburban and rural voters and regain power in November’s congressional elections.

Eleven states have enacted laws banning transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports since 2020, according to the Equality Federation, which tracks legislation that targets lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. The vetoes in Utah and Indiana are expected to be overridden by Republicans in the state legislatures, making the actions by Utah Governor Spencer Cox and Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb largely symbolic.

“Saving women’s sports is now a litmus test for Republicans,” said Terry Schilling, president of the American Principles Project, a conservative group that has made state high school transgender bans central to its advocacy. “These governors just shot themselves in the foot for no good reason.”

The issue gained new resonance this month when collegiate swimmer Lia Thomas became the first openly trans athlete to win a Division I championship in any sport. Conservatives have used her victory as a rallying cry for more restrictive legislation.

Republican Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, who is up for re-election and has become perhaps his party’s most high-profile cultural warrior, this week declared the second-place finisher in Thomas’ race the actual winner, saying the NCAA was “perpetuating a fraud” and undermining the integrity of women’s sports.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/mm6803a3.htm in 2019 that just 1.8% of high school students in the country are transgender, and the Human Rights Campaign has said that, according to surveys https://assets2.hrc.org/files/assets/resources/PlayToWin-FINAL.pdf, only about 12% play on girls’ sports teams.

In Utah, Cox called the issue of transgender students participating in sports “one of the most divisive of our time” and said he wanted to approach the issue with compassion. He expressed concern for the mental health of trans youths, who, he said, simply want to participate in sports as a means of belonging.

Cox said he found only one instance of a transgender student playing on a girls’ high school team in Utah.

“Rarely has so much fear and anger been directed at so few,” Cox wrote in a letter explaining his veto. “I don’t understand what they are going through or why they feel the way they do. But I want them to live.”

POLITICAL RISK

In vetoing the bills, both Cox and Holcomb suggested the restrictions were unnecessary and would invite costly lawsuits.

Beyond Utah and Indiana, governors in three other states have vetoed similar bans, although South Dakota then enacted a revised law, according to the Equality Federation.

Fran Hutchins, the organization’s executive director, called the legislative pushes a ploy to drum up support ahead of the midterm elections, when Republicans could win back a majority in the Senate and the House of Representatives.

“I really hope that the Republican vetoes are the beginning of a sea change in the way that conservatives are thinking about this,” Hutchins said. “But I fear that we’re going to see this rhetoric continue beyond legislative sessions and into the elections.”

Chris Wilson, a Republican pollster who consults on Senate and gubernatorial campaigns, said that Democrats oppose such bans at their peril, saying they are favored by some independents and Democrats who believe it is unfair to allow transgender students to compete in girls’ athletics.

A May 2021 poll by Gallup https://news.gallup.com/poll/350174/mixed-views-among-americans-transgender-issues.aspx found that 62% of Americans said trans athletes should only be allowed to play on sports teams that correspond with their birth gender, while 34% say they should be able to play on teams that match their gender identity.

Wilson said Democrats who vote against such bans could see political blowback similar to the controversy over calls by progressives to de-fund police departments, a position that has largely been rejected by a majority of voters nationwide.

Republicans could face political risks as well.

In vetoing the Indiana bill, Holcomb may have wanted to avoid the firestorm that arose in 2015 when then-governor Mike Pence signed a controversial religious freedom bill.

And in 2016, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory, a Republican, lost his re-election bid after the state’s so-called “bathroom bill” requiring transgender people to use the bathroom of their original sex triggered a backlash that damaged the state’s economy.

(Reporting by Maria Caspani and James Oliphant; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Aurora Ellis)

Topics: Aaon, towleroad More Posts About: Eric Holcomb, Mike Pence, Pat McCrory, Ron DeSantis, Spencer Cox

Related Posts
  • Florida presses bid to roll back Disney special status
  • Ron DeSantis retaliates against Florida venue that hosted drag show in December
  • U.S. African American studies does not include material targeted by Florida governor
  • Retired, Single & Sexy! Tom Brady Holds His Hand Over His Private Parts In Nearly Nude Selfie — See Photo

    Retired, Single & Sexy! Tom Brady Holds His Hand Over His Private Parts In Nearly Nude Selfie — See Photo

    Published by OK Magazine mega Tom Brady‘s latest sultry snap has fans drooling. On Monday, February 6, the legendary quarterback took to his Instagram Story to tease his 13.4 million followers with a stripped-down mirror selfie. …Read More »
  • Jazz Jennings Admits ‘Nervous’ Remark From Date Left Her Feeling ‘Uncomfortable’ In New Sneak Peek

    Jazz Jennings Admits ‘Nervous’ Remark From Date Left Her Feeling ‘Uncomfortable’ In New Sneak Peek

    Published by OK Magazine TLC Jazz Jennings has entered the dating pool — which has turned out to be more of a rocky, dating dance. In the sneak peek of the Tuesday, February 6, episode of …Read More »
  • Queering the internet: anonymous online spaces for LGBTQ+ people

    Queering the internet: anonymous online spaces for LGBTQ+ people

    Published by Global Voices A screenshot of Google maps (Jakarta). Composed by Sydney Allen via Canva Global Voices has extensively cataloged the pressures, violence, hate speech, and oppression queer people face all over the world. Whether …Read More »
  • Pro-LGBTQ Christian school forced to close after being ‘bombarded by hate’

    Pro-LGBTQ Christian school forced to close after being ‘bombarded by hate’

    Published by Raw Story A Christian school in Kansas City is being forced to close after its donations almost completely dried up ever since it came out in support of LGBTQ rights. The Kansas City Star …Read More »
Previous Post: « Caitlyn Jenner Faces Backlash For Calling Transgender Athlete Lia Thomas ‘Not The Rightful Winner’ In Swimming Championship
Next Post: Arizona, Oklahoma legislatures pass transgender sports bans »

Primary Sidebar

Adjacent News

  • Ivanka Trump ‘Doesn’t Trust’ Donald Trump Jr.’s Fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle, Claims Insider: ‘Sees Her As A Desperate Social Climber’

    Ivanka Trump ‘Doesn’t Trust’ Donald Trump Jr.’s Fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle, Claims Insider: ‘Sees Her As A Desperate Social Climber’

  • A Secret Weapon in Preventing the Next Pandemic: Fruit Bats

    A Secret Weapon in Preventing the Next Pandemic: Fruit Bats

  • Explainer-Biden’s State of the Union address and what to expect

    Explainer-Biden’s State of the Union address and what to expect

Good Trash: Going to Read It Somewhere, Y'know

  • ‘At Least You Know I’m Singing Live’: Adele FORGETS The Lyrics To Her Award-Winning Song At Las Vegas Residency Before Grammys

    ‘At Least You Know I’m Singing Live’: Adele FORGETS The Lyrics To Her Award-Winning Song At Las Vegas Residency Before Grammys

  • ‘Leaving Neverland’ Director SLAMS Michael Jackson Biopic Starring Late King Of Pop’s Nephew, Claiming It Will ‘Glorify A Pedophile’

    ‘Leaving Neverland’ Director SLAMS Michael Jackson Biopic Starring Late King Of Pop’s Nephew, Claiming It Will ‘Glorify A Pedophile’

  • Sarah Michelle Gellar reveals Sandy Gallin and Dolly Parton’s ‘little known’ Buffy the Vampire Slayer role

    Sarah Michelle Gellar reveals Sandy Gallin and Dolly Parton’s ‘little known’ Buffy the Vampire Slayer role

RSS Partner Links

  • Princess Kate wore stripes in a video for Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week
  • Courtiers have hatched a plan to not invite Duchess Meghan to the Chubbly
  • Chris Brown Apologized To Robert Glasper After His Post-Grammy Loss Tantrum
  • Murray Bartlett On Aging Up For THE LAST OF US + Santos Facing Probe (In A Bad Way) + Lea Michele Opens Up About GROWTH Since GLEE + Her Name Is Barbra, Guys! + MORE! — 6-PACK
  • 24-Year-Old Shawn Mendes Is Rumored To Be Dating His 51-Year Chiropractor
  • Brandi Glanville Allegedly Sexually Assaulting Caroline Manzo Was Why She Got Kicked Off “Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip”
  • Stephanie Hsu & Ashley Park Go For A 'Joy Ride' With Friends

Most Recent

  • Dexter Origins confirmed with plans for more serial killer spin offs

    Dexter Origins confirmed with plans for more serial killer spin offs

  • Retired, Single & Sexy! Tom Brady Holds His Hand Over His Private Parts In Nearly Nude Selfie — See Photo

    Retired, Single & Sexy! Tom Brady Holds His Hand Over His Private Parts In Nearly Nude Selfie — See Photo

  • Jazz Jennings Admits ‘Nervous’ Remark From Date Left Her Feeling ‘Uncomfortable’ In New Sneak Peek

    Jazz Jennings Admits ‘Nervous’ Remark From Date Left Her Feeling ‘Uncomfortable’ In New Sneak Peek

  • Queering the internet: anonymous online spaces for LGBTQ+ people

    Queering the internet: anonymous online spaces for LGBTQ+ people

  • Pro-LGBTQ Christian school forced to close after being ‘bombarded by hate’

    Pro-LGBTQ Christian school forced to close after being ‘bombarded by hate’

  • Afghanistan’s LGBTQ+ may prefer death to life under Taliban

    Afghanistan’s LGBTQ+ may prefer death to life under Taliban

  • Hogwarts Legacy seemingly adds first transgender Harry Potter character

    Hogwarts Legacy seemingly adds first transgender Harry Potter character

  • Grammy Awards: Men’s fashion steals the red carpet in stereotype-shattering style

    Grammy Awards: Men’s fashion steals the red carpet in stereotype-shattering style

Most Commented

Social

Twitter @tlrd | Facebook | Instagram @tlrd

Footer

Copyright © 2023 · Log in

×