Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, a
Republican, on Monday vetoed a bill that seeks to ban transgender
girls from participating in girls team sports.
In his veto letter, Holcomb, who
previously signaled his support, said that the legislation “falls
short” of providing a statewide policy for “fairness in K-12
sports.”
“The presumption of the policy laid
out in HEA 1041 is that there is an existing problem in K-12 sports
in Indiana that requires further state government intervention,”
Holcomb wrote. “It implies that the goals of consistency and
fairness in competitive female sports are not currently being met.
After thorough review, I find no evidence to support either claim
even if I support the effort overall.”
Simple majorities in both the Indiana
House and Senate are needed to override Holcomb's veto. Republicans
have large majorities in both chambers.
The ACLU of Indiana cheered the
governor's action, saying in a tweet that “when we fight for trans
kids, we win.”
“This victory belongs to the trans
youth of Indiana, who deserve to live as their authentic selves and
to play the sports they love, free from discrimination.
#LetKidsPlay,” the group tweeted.
“This win wouldn't have been possible
without the thousands of Hoosiers who voiced their strong opposition
to state legislators and who showed up at the Statehouse to oppose
their harmful bill,” they added.
Eleven GOP-led states have enacted
similar bans.