Kentucky Lawmakers Override Governor's Veto of Anti-Trans Sports Bill
NBC News reports. The law took effect immediately thereafter. It affects students from sixth grade through college.Beshear, a Democrat, vetoed the bill last week, saying it is not only discriminatory but ignores the steps taken by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association to assure that no student-athlete who has an unfair advantage can compete. “Transgender children deserve public officials’ efforts to demonstrate that they are valued members of our community through compassion, kindness, and empathy, even if not understanding,” he said in a veto message.
Also, activists said there is only one trans girl currently playing school sports in Kentucky.Kentucky now joins Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, South Dakota, Texas, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia in enacting such a law, although enforcement of the Idaho and West Virginia laws is halted while lawsuits proceed.
Utah’s passed through an override of Gov. Spencer Cox’s veto. Governors in Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, and North Dakota have also vetoed such bills.LGBTQ+ activists decried Kentucky’s override. “Governor Beshear and Governor Cox of Utah both, in their veto statements, made it clear that they approach this conversation about children with compassion, as any conversation about children should be approached with compassion,” Human Rights Campaign State Legislative Director and Senior Counsel Cathryn Oakley said in a press release.
