Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, is facing backlash after he blocked a GOP-led measure that would have prevented transgender students in the state from competing on school sports teams that do not align with their biological sex.
Evers said the bill he vetoed “fails to comport with our Wisconsin values” in a letter Tuesday to state lawmakers. Assembly Bill 377 passed through both chambers of the state’s GOP-controlled legislature earlier this year.
“I am vetoing this bill in its entirety because I object to codifying discrimination into state statute and the Wisconsin State Legislature’s ongoing efforts to perpetuate hateful and discriminatory rhetoric and policies targeting LGBTQ Wisconsinites, including our transgender and gender nonconforming kids,” Evers wrote.
“This type of legislation, and the harmful rhetoric beget by pursuing it, harms LGBT Wisconsinites’ and kids’ mental health, emboldens anti-LGBTQ harassment, bullying, and violence, and threatens the safety and dignity of LGBTQ Wisconsinites, especially our LGBTQ kids,” he added.
Evers vowed Tuesday to veto “any bill that makes Wisconsin a less safe, less inclusive, and less welcoming place for LGBTQ people and kids.”
