Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, is facing backlash for vetoing a GOP-led measure to prevent transgender students in the state from competing on school sports teams that do not align with their biological sex. (Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)
"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."
The measure would have most prominently prohibited "pupils of the male sex from participating on an athletic team or in an athletic sport that is designated for females under par."
Shortly after he announced the veto, Evers shared a clip of him rejecting the measure on social media, writing, "I just vetoed Republicans’ anti-LGBTQ bill to ban trans and gender nonconforming kids from participating in school sports teams that align with their gender identity."
Riley Gaines, the former NCAA swim star who's seemingly become the face of fairness in women's sports after being forced to compete against biological men, took aim at Evers over his decision to reject the bill.
"BREAKING: I hate women and children," Gaines wrote in a post to X. "Fixed it for you."
EVERS SIGNS NEW LAWS DESIGNED TO BOLSTER SAFETY OF JUDGES, COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING
"Giving love and respect is NOT done by allowing girls to be injured and have their opportunities stolen," Paula Scanlan, a spokeswoman for the Independent Women's Forum, wrote in response to Evers.
Prior to Evers' veto, the bill passed the state assembly on a party-line vote of 63-35 in October. The measure was then approved last month, mostly along party lines, by state senators in a 21-11 vote before it reached the governor's desk. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Evers also argued that the measure "may conflict with existing federal law," saying the Education Department's 2021 notice of interpretation declared "that the Title IX prohibition on discrimination on the basis of sex is inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity, which is inclusive of transgender students."
Prior to Evers' veto, the measure passed the state assembly on a party-line vote of 63-35 in October. The measure was then approved last month, mostly along party lines, by state senators in a 21-11 vote before it reached the governor's desk.
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Neither GOP-led body has the required two-thirds majority to override Evers' veto.
Kyle Morris covers politics for Fox News. Story tips can be sent via email and on X: @RealKyleMorris.
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