A veto letter from Governor Spencer Cox caught the national attention with a painful argument that such laws target vulnerable trans children who are already at high risk of suicide. Utah business leaders also sounded the alarm that the ban could have multimillion-dollar financial consequences for the state, including the possible loss of the NBA All-Star Game next year. The NBA Utah Jazz called the ban “discriminatory legislation” and opposed the statement. Prior to the veto, the ban received support from a majority of Utah lawmakers, but fell below the two-thirds required to bypass it. His sponsors on Friday successfully ousted 10 Republicans in Parliament and five in the Senate who had previously voted against the proposal. Cox was the second GOP governor this week to reject a law ban on participating in sports, but the proposal won the support of a vocal conservative base that has particular influence in Utah’s qualifying season. Even in the primary, however, some Republicans sided with Cox in rejecting the ban. “I can not support this bill. I can not support the circumvention of the veto and if my position costs me, let it be. “I will do the right thing, as I always do,” said Republican Sen. Daniel Thatcher. Bypassing Cox’s veto, twelve states have some sort of ban on trans children in school sports. The state law enters into force on July 1. Some time ago, efforts to regulate the participation of trans children in school sports failed to gain traction in government buildings, but in the last two years groups such as the American Principles Project have launched a concerted effort to promote legislation across the country. . Since last year, bans have been imposed in at least 25 states, according to the National Conference of Legislatures. This week, Arizona and Oklahoma passed bans and sent them to governors for final approval. “You start these struggles and introduce them to politics,” said Terry Schilling, president of the American Principles Project. “You spend it in a few states and it starts to take on its own life and it becomes organic. “We helped start this fight and we help make it happen, but many of them come from the local level.” Leaders in deeply conservative Utah say they need the law to protect women’s sports. Lawmakers argue that more trans athletes with potential physical benefits could eventually dominate the field and change the nature of women’s sports without legal intervention. Utah has only one trans girl playing in K-12 sports that would be affected by the ban. There have been no claims that any of the four trans young athletes in Utah have a competitive advantage. The Visit Salt Lake group, which hosts conferences, shows and events, said the bypass could cost the state $ 50 million in lost revenue. Utah-based DNA testing gene giant Ancestry.com also objected. Salt Lake City is set to host the NBA All-Star Game in February 2023. League spokesman Mike Bass said the league was “working closely” with the Jazz on the issue. The team is also partly owned by NBA all-star Dwyane Wade, who has a trans daughter. Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online. Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online. The American Principles Project strategically focused on early legislation in large, economical states such as Texas and Florida that are difficult to boycott. Once a precedent of tacit economic reaction was created, the group expected smaller states to be treated similarly. On Thursday and Friday, both pro- and anti-ban protesters gathered in the Utah Capitol. Utah has historically been one of the nation’s most conservative states. But an influx of new residents and tech companies combined with the growing influence of the tourism industry often sets the stage for intense debate on social issues in the state hosting The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Friday’s debates came after more than a year of discussions and negotiations between social conservatives and LGBTQ supporters. Republican MP Kera Birkeland partnered with Cox and civil rights activists in Equality Utah before passing legislation that would require trans-student athletes to appear before a government-appointed committee. The proposal, although framed as a compromise, failed to gain traction on both sides. LGBTQ supporters disagreed with Republican politicians appointing committee members and evaluation criteria that included body measurements such as hip-to-knee ratio. Then, in the last hours before the legislature was postponed earlier this month, GOP lawmakers replaced the legislation with a total ban. Birkeland, who is also a basketball coach, acknowledged that the proposal had caused emotion and criticism, but said discussions with female athletes had forced her to continue her effort. “When we say, ‘This is not a problem in our state,’ what we are saying to these girls is, ‘Sit down, be quiet and be in a good mood,’” he said. Lawmakers expect legal challenges similar to the banned bans in Idaho and West Virginia, where athletes have said the bans violate their civil rights. They also argued that the bans violate privacy rights, due to the tests required if an athlete’s gender is challenged. The Utah ACLU said Friday that a lawsuit was imminent. Utah policy will return to the commission if the courts lift the ban. The threat of lawsuits worries school districts and the Utah High School Athletic Association, which has said it lacks the funds to defend politics in court. Later on Friday, lawmakers are expected to change the bill so that state money can cover legal costs.
