GOP governors of Utah and Indiana veto transgender school sports bans


On the same day Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) proclaimed that transgender swimmer Lia Thomas did not win an NCAA women's swim event in Atlanta last week, at least not as far as Florida was concerned, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) vetoed a ban on transgender students playing girls sports, telling Utah legislators that while "I struggle to understand so much of it and the science is conflicting," he will "always try to err on the side of kindness, mercy, and compassion."
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) on Monday vetoed a bill that would have banned transgender girls and women from participating in girls sporting events, saying the controversial GOP bill "falls short" of creating a consistent statewide policy for "fairness in K-12 sports." Holcomb said he supports "the effort overall" to ensure only students born with female sex organs can play girls sports, but "I find no evidence" that "there is an existing problem in K-12 sports in Indiana that requires further state government intervention."
Cox had supported a compromise between ban supporters and LGBTQ groups that Republicans scuttled in the final hours of the legislative session. He noted in his veto letter that four transgender athletes — three boys and one girl — out of 85,000 players in the state, have been ruled eligible to play by Utah's high school athletic association. "Four kids who are just trying to find some friends and feel like they are a part of something. Four kids trying to get through each day," Cox wrote. "Rarely has so much fear and anger been directed at so few. I don't understand what they are going through or why they feel the way they do. But I want them to live."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Indiana's legislature can, and likely will, override Holcomb's veto with a simple majority vote, but Utah Republicans would have to flip some no votes to successfully override Cox's.
Cox and Holcomb are outliers, as governors in 11 conservative-leaning states have signed bans on transgender kids in sports and another dozen states are considering similar bans. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has ordered state agencies to investigate parents of some transgender children for child abuse, though a state appellate court has put his order on hold.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
The First Homosexuals: The Birth of a New Identity, 1869–1939
Feature Wrightwood 659, Chicago, through Aug. 2
-
Why the FDA wants to restrict kratom-related products
In the Spotlight The compound is currently sold across the United States
-
Israeli NGOs have started referring to Gaza as a 'genocide' — will it matter?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION For the first time since fighting began in 2023, two Israeli rights groups have described their country's actions in the Gaza Strip as 'genocide' while famine threatens the blockaded Palestinian territory
-
Senate confirms Trump loyalist Bove to top court
Speed Read The president's former criminal defense lawyer was narrowly approved to earn a lifetime seat
-
Ghislaine Maxwell offers testimony for immunity
Speed Read The convicted sex trafficker offered to testify to Congress about her relationship with late boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein
-
Judge halts GOP defunding of Planned Parenthood
Speed Read The Trump administration can't withhold Medicaid funds from Planned Parenthood, said the ruling
-
Trump contradicts Israel, says 'starvation' in Gaza
Speed Read The president suggests Israel could be doing more to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians
-
Trump executive order targets homeless
Speed Read It will now be easier for states and cities to remove homeless people from the streets
-
Columbia pays $200M to settle with White House
Speed Read The Trump administration accused the school of failing to protect its Jewish students amid pro-Palestinian protests
-
Florida judge and DOJ make Epstein trouble for Trump
Speed Read The Trump administration's request to release grand jury transcripts from the Epstein investigation was denied
-
Trump attacks Obama as Epstein furor mounts
Speed Read The Trump administration accused the Obama administration of 'treasonous' behavior during the 2016 election