Utah governor says he’ll veto transgender youth sports ban

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Friday that he plans to veto legislation that would effectively ban transgender student-athletes from girls sports if it’s sent to him in the final hours before lawmakers adjourn.

Under the legislation the state Senate passed late Friday night, transgender girls in Utah won’t be able to play sports on teams that correspond with their gender identity.

Last-minute amendments introduced in the final day of Utah’s legislative session now return to the House for consideration. They would have to be passed there and then be signed by Cox, a Republican, before becoming state law.

“We have never discussed a ban. I have never had a conversation about a ban this session with anyone,” Cox said after lawmakers amended an earlier proposal to include a ban.

If enacted, Utah will become the 12th state, all Republican-led, to limit transgender girls’ participation in youth sports. Lawmakers have argued that bans are necessary to protect fairness in sports.

In Utah, where a ban failed last year, lawmakers initially proposed a government-appointed commission that would make decisions on individual transgender student-athletes aiming to participate. They framed the idea as a compromise between LGBTQ advocates pushing for inclusion and social conservatives looking to preserve fairness.

If the legislation were to become law and courts prohibit Utah from enforcing it, like they have done in Idaho, the legislation would give decision-making responsibility to a commission proposed in the initial draft of the legislation.

“What we’re talking about here is that the athletic capabilities of men or boys will regularly exceed the athletic capabilities of girls. No amount of debate can change the physical fact that boys are simply built (differently) than girls,” said Republican state Sen. Curt Bramble.