Wisconsin governor vetoes legislation targeting trans kids

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) vetoed legislation that would have banned gender-affirming care for minors. Evers had previously sworn to veto any anti-trans legislation sent to his desk by the Republican-controlled legislature.

“I promised I would veto any bill that makes Wisconsin a less safe, less inclusive, and less a welcoming place for LGBTQ folks and kids — and I keep my promises,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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Governor marched to legislature to tell trans rights activists that he’ll veto every anti-trans bill

The dramatic move by Wisconsin governor Tony Evers rallied parents and trans youth.

Doctors and medical associations have warned about the dangers involved in requiring transgender youth to wait until becoming adults before being able to receive proper medical care. In some states, health care for transgender adults is also being targeted.

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While attacks on transgender rights, particularly children’s health care, have become a standard GOP whipping post in recent years, the legislation flies in the face of their supposed defense of parental rights. The laws strip parents from making medical decisions for their children, giving politicians that right instead.

“I object to restricting physicians from providing evidence-based and medically appropriate care to their patients, restricting parents from making medical decisions with physicians to ensure their kids receive the healthcare they need, and preventing patients from receiving that basic, life-saving care,” Evers wrote in his veto message.

“Best practice standards of care for trans youth are supported by every major medical association in the country, and bans on that care have been opposed by those same medical associations,” Fair Wisconsin Executive Director Megin McDonnell said. “The authors of these bills know this, yet they still fast-tracked them to a committee hearing and a floor vote, where they passed along party lines.”

“The Legislature’s ongoing efforts to perpetuate false, hateful, and discriminatory anti-LGBTQ policies and rhetoric in our state,” Ever added in his statement. “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 Wisconsinites.”