Utah’s House Bill 11 may be short-lived
Hours after the state Senate and House passed, House Bill 11 (HB 11) – passed on 4 March – banning trans girls from competing in school sports teams that correspond to their gender identity and not their birth identity.
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In the Senate, the bill was passed by a vote of 16 in favour to 13 against, while in the House, 42 voted in favour to 29 against.
And several representatives of the Republican Party spoke out against the passage of this controversial bill.
The bill is now expected to reach the desk of State Governor Spencer Cox (Republican Party), who has promised to veto the bill.
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Equality Utah welcomed State Governor Cox’s decision.
“With your veto, HB 11 is dead. We are in tears. Thank you to every lawmaker, Democrat and Republican who voted against this insidious ban.”
At this point, the state of Utah – thankfully – will not be joining those states in the union that have passed anti-trans youth laws.
Fortunately, not all US states are following this campaign of hatred and marginalization against trans youth, particularly in the school setting, a difficult environment for them.