Republican Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb Vetoes Bill Banning Transgenders from Women's Sports

Republican Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb angered conservatives this week when he vetoed a bill designed to protect women’s sports from transgender activism.

Holcomb said in a letter on Monday that he finds “no evidence” to support the idea that sports are suffering from a lack of fairness in his state. The bill, HEA 1041, would have banned men who identify as women from competing in opposite-gender sports.

“The wide-open nature of the grievance provisions in HEA 1041 that apply to all K-12 schools in Indiana makes it unclear about how consistency and fairness will be maintained for parents and students across different counties and school districts,” Holcomb wrote in the letter.

“The presumption of the policy laid out in HEA 1041 is that there is an existing problem in K-12 sports in Indiana that requires further state government intervention,” he added. “It implies that the goals of consistency and fairness in competitive female sports are not currently being met. After a thorough review, I find no evidence to support either claim even if I support the overall goal.”

According to IndyStar, the bill may still become law, being that “Republican lawmakers have a supermajority in both chambers at the Statehouse, and only need a simple majority to override a veto.”

The bill was staunchly opposed by the ACLU and The Indiana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (Indiana AAP). The Indiana High School Athletics Association (IHSAA) also claimed transgenders had no unfair advantage in women’s sports by requiring transgender athletes to specify they have been living as their preferred gender for over a year.

“The moment the Indiana High School Athletic Association admitted there was no unfair advantage occurring in women’s sports, it became clear House Bill 1041 was more about fulfilling a made-up culture war than actually creating a better future for Hoosier children,” Indiana Democrats said after the veto.

“Indiana Republicans even admitted their goal was more about abiding by national politics than solving today’s problems facing kids – and it’s why they partnered with a national hate group to pass House Bill 1041,” it added. It’s encouraging to see Governor Eric Holcomb tell his party that their culture wars have crossed the line.”

Holcomb faced criticism from lawmakers for his veto:

“I’m disappointed with Gov. Holcomb’s veto of a common-sense bill that frankly doesn’t go far enough to Save Women’s Sports,” tweeted Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN). “My hope is that the Indiana General Assembly will meet soon to override the veto and send a message to the rest of the nation that Indiana values women.”

I’m disappointed with Gov. Holcomb’s veto of a common sense bill that frankly doesn’t go far enough to Save Women’s Sports. My hope is that the Indiana General Assembly will meet soon to override the veto and send a message to the rest of the nation that Indiana values women.

— Jim Banks (@RepJimBanks) March 21, 2022

In early February, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem signed a bill restricting biological males from competing in women’s sports up through college. Speaking with Fox News, she said the law was about “leveling the playing field.”

“It is true that your girls will have a level playing field,” she said. “They will get the chance to compete only against other biological females, as reflected on their birth certificate because we want them to have a chance to be successful.”

Earlier this month, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed a bill that will require athletes to compete on school, college, and university sports teams corresponding to their biological sex.

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