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North Dakota Governor Vetoes Bill That Would Ban Trans Students From Playing Sports

On Wednesday, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum vetoed a bill that would have banned transgender K-12 students from playing on school-sponsored teams of their identifying gender.

House Bill 1298 was passed by a 69–25 vote in the House and a 27–20 vote in the Senate, according to Adam Willis of The Dickinson Press. A two-thirds vote in both chambers is needed to override a governor's veto.

Burgum said in a statement that there is no evidence that fairness in school sports is threatened under the current legislation.

"North Dakota today has a level playing field and fairness in girls' sports," Burgum said.