The Utah Legislature voted Friday to override Republican Gov. Spencer Cox’s Tuesday veto of a bill that would ban “a student of the male sex from competing against another school on a team designated for female students” — as well as they did so in under 30 mins.
“Minutes ago, the Utah legislature voted to override the governor’s veto of a ban on biological males in girls’ sports. Both chambers easily mustered the necessary 2/3rds majority to pass the law. As of July 1, only girls will play girls’ sports in Utah,” the National Review’s Nate Hochman tweeted Friday.
“Notably, lawmakers had to flip at least 4 votes in each chamber to pass the 2/3rds threshold. The original bill passed by 16-13 in the Senate and 46-29 in the House earlier this month. Today, the veto override passed in under 30 mins by 56-18 in the House and 21-8 in the Senate,” he added.
“I am grateful the Legislature recognized that there were serious flaws with HB11 and for the heightened debate and input that legislators were able to receive over the past few weeks,” Cox said in a statement following the vote.
“I called a Special Session today to fix at least one flaw in the bill, and we’re heartened that the Legislature agreed to indemnify school districts and the Utah High School Activities Association from the enormous financial burden that inevitable litigation will have on them.”
“I remain hopeful that we will continue to work toward a more inclusive, fair and compassionate policy during the interim,” he added.
Utah House Democrats stated in a Friday declaration that “by overriding Governor Cox’s veto of H.B. 11 and also changing it with 2nd Sub. H.B. 3001 today, the legislature invested nearly $50,000 for a special session to place Utah taxpayers responsible for millions in suits.”
“This bill is designed to score political points at the expense of kids who just want to play sports. It causes nothing but undue harm to transgender girls and boys across our state, when what they really deserve is support, reassurance, and love,” they added. “This is a culture war battle designed to exploit people’s fears and misunderstandings about transgender people in this election year. Is this really the Utah Way? Just let the kids play.”
“There are important biological differences between men and women. Though there are some who say transgender participation isn’t an issue in our state, we are seeing the negative repercussions in our country due to unfair advantage,” GOP Utah State Sen. Curt Bramble said after the successful vote.
“We have to consider the girls who are concerned about privacy and lost opportunities to compete in a fair athletic environment,” he continued. “As the proud father of an elite female athlete, I believe H.B. 11 is the best way to preserve women’s sports as we navigate this difficult and sensitive issue.”
“H.B. 11 is not about discrimination, it’s about keeping sports fair,” Republican Utah State Senate President J. Stuart Adams said.
The override makes Utah the 12th state to pass some type of restriction on transgender individuals in institution sports that don’t correlate to their sex. The recently passed law will certainly go right into effect July 1.
In a March 22 news release, Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson said, “Gov. Cox made his objective to veto the bill clear from the day it was passed so his action today was anticipated.” He additionally made clear the Legislature’s plans to override the veto.
Cox informed KUTV in very early March that he planned to veto the action, including, “We’ll have this conversation, and also we’ll provide them a possibility to find back and also do it afterward,” due to the fact that they had never reviewed a straight-out ban.
“They’re awesome kids, and they’re not out there breaking any records,” Cox said of transgender youth. “I just want that community to know, look, we care about you, we love you, it’s going to be OK. We’re going to get through this together.”
The RINO Governor also claimed in a Facebook article on March 5 that “we care deeply about Utah’s female athletes and our LGBTQ+ community.”
“To those hurting tonight: It’s going to be OK. We’re going to help you get through this. Please reach out if you need help,” he added.
A similar override attempt will almost certainly occur on May 24 in the Indiana Legislature. House Republicans’ strategy to pass a measure protecting women’s and girls’ sports in the state, in spite of Gov. Eric Holcomb’s veto.
