Utah governor Spencer Cox vetoed a ban Tuesday that would not allow transgender girls to participate in school sports.
He is the second Republican governor this week to veto a ban regarding transgender athletes. On Monday, Indiana governor Eric Holcomb shot down a similar bill, saying the legislation “falls short” of providing a consistent statewide policy regarding the matter in grade schools.
According to Cox, Utah was planning on creating a commission of experts that would evaluate a transgender child’s ability to participate in school sports on a case-by-case basis. Negotiations broke down between LGBTQ+ advocates and lawmakers, per Cox’s veto letter, and during the final hours of the legislative session on March 4, Utah legislatures presented a bill that would be an outright ban.