Wisconsin Democratic Governor Tony Evers vetoed a bill on Wednesday that would have protected kids from irreversible transgender surgeries and hormone procedures.
The bill, which passed the Republican-controlled state legislature, would have banned procedures like double mastectomies on girls who identify as boys, and giving children puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. Cross-sex hormones can impact bone development, fertility, and heart health.
“While the governor’s veto of this legislation is certainly not surprising, it serves as a stark reminder of just how out of touch with reality Governor Evers is,” Republican state Sen. Duey Stroebel said. “Protecting children from invasive and irreversible medical interventions is the right thing to do from both a scientific and ethical standpoint.”
While Republicans hold a veto-proof majority in the Senate, they are two seats short in the state Assembly. In Kentucky, where the governor’s office is held by Democrat Governor Andy Beshear, Republicans were able to override Beshear’s veto to ban transgender procedures on children.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos decried Evers’ veto, saying that it was misguided.
“Evers made another harmful mistake. Such a life-altering decision should be made when you’re an adult, not a child. Many countries, including Norway, Sweden, Finland, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, do not allow for gender transition surgery before the age of 18,” he said in a post on X.
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Evers, a former school official who portrays himself as a moderate, claimed that the bill would have made Wisconsin less safe.
“This type of legislation, and the rhetoric beget by pursuing it, harms LGBTQ people and kids’ mental health, emboldens anti-LGBTQ hate and violence, and threatens the safety and dignity of LGBTQ Wisconsinites,” Evers said in his veto message. “I will veto any bill that makes Wisconsin a less safe, less inclusive, and less welcoming place for LGBTQ people and kids.”
More than 20 states have passed bills protecting children from transgender procedures. Left-wing legal groups have sought to challenge the laws with various degrees of success. The ACLU, which lost a challenge to Tennessee’s law before the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, has petitioned the Supreme Court to weigh in on the case.
Evers, who was up for re-election in 2022, has blocked conservative-backed bills on voting, abortion, and gun rights.