Republican Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb vetoed legislation that was designed to ban biological males from participating in women’s school sports.
From the Post Millennial:
The bill, HB 1041, would have “prohibited a male, based on the student’s biological sex at birth in accordance with the student’s genetics and reproductive biology, from participating on an athletic team or sport designated as being a female, women’s, or girls’ athletic team or sport.”
Holcomb argued that there was “no evidence” that Indian’s student-athletes were currently falling victim to the issue the bill was intending to fix:
Holcomb said in a Monday press release on his decision to veto the bill that the measure “falls short” of its intended goal of providing a clear and consistent state policy, according to IndyStar.
“It implies that the goals of consistency and fairness in competitive female sports are not currently being met,” Holcomb wrote. “After thorough review, I find no evidence to support either claim even if I support the overall goal.”
Gov. Holcomb said that his decision to veto the bill was primarily due to possible litigation implications and pointed out that in the three dozen states that have passed similar legislation, the measures have been a lightning rod for litigation– with the courts blocking the laws from taking effect.
But Republican State Rep. Michelle Davis, who authored the bill, argued it would help in “protecting girls’ athletics” from a “threat posed by transgender girls, who could have a biological advantage that will cause cisgender girls to lose the opportunity to play or compete on a even playing field.”
The possibility remains that the bill could still become law if the legislature is able to override Holcomb’s veto, an option that remains in play with the GOP controlling both chambers of the Indiana legislature.
The battle over the legislation comes after Lia Thomas, a a biological male that identifies as a female, was able to capture a NCAA national championship in the women’s 500 freestyle event, spawning renewed controversy the participation in women’s sports by biological males.
The controversy also bled into this week’s Supreme Court hearings of President Biden’s nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who was asked by GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn to define what a “woman” is.
Jackson refused to entertain the question, quipping that she is “not a biologist.”
