Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear\u2019s veto of a bill aimed at transgender health care puts the state in the middle of a national fight, but with more immediate consequences as the state\u2019s looming election offers an early test on the state-by-state assault on gender-affirming care for minors.
The veto issued Friday set off competing messages likely to be repeated until the November election \u2014 when Bluegrass State voters will decide whether to reward the Democratic governor with a second term or hand over the governor\u2019s office to a Republican. No one seems to know yet how much weight voters will put on the transgender issue with the general election more than seven months away.
The legislation in Kentucky is part of a widespread movement, with Republican state lawmakers in other states approving extensive measures that restrict the rights of LGBTQ+ people this year, from bills targeting trans athletes and drag performers to measures limiting gender-affirming care.
Beshear framed the Republican-backed bill in Kentucky as an example of government overreach into parental rights. The sweeping bill would ban gender-affirming care for minors \u2014 one of many provisions that would affect the lives of young transgender people.
\u201cAt the end of the day, this is about my belief \u2014 and, I think, the belief of the majority of Kentuckians \u2014 that parents should get to make important medical decisions about their children, not big government,\u201d Beshear told reporters soon after his veto.
Kentucky\u2019s GOP-dominated legislature passed the bill by lopsided margins. Lawmakers will reconvene Wednesday for the final two days of this year\u2019s session, when they could vote to override the veto.
Republicans took immediate aim at the governor\u2019s veto, saying he veered too far for most Kentuckians. Republican Party of Kentucky spokesperson Sean Southard asked: \u201cIs Andy Beshear the governor of Kentucky or California?\u201d He predicted the governor will pay a political price for his action.
\u201cOnce this campaign is over, today may very well be remembered as the day Andy Beshear lost his bid for reelection,\u201d Southard said Friday.
Republicans could try to capitalize on the political divide over transgender rights to motivate socially conservative voters to flock to the polls in November, when state constitutional offices are on the ballot. Several leading GOP contenders for governor were aligned in condemning Beshear\u2019s veto.
\u201cIf the Republicans choose to make this a centerpiece of the campaign against Beshear, it\u2019s going to hurt him,\u201d said Scott Jennings, a Kentucky-based Republican political commentator.
Beshear cited his own religious faith as a factor in rejecting the bill, saying: \u201cI believe every single child is a child of God.\u201d
Twelve candidates in all are competing for the Republican nomination for governor in the state\u2019s May primary. Beshear\u2019s bid for a second term is drawing national attention to see if the popular incumbent can win again in the Republican-trending state. Beshear has won praise for his responses to devastating tornadoes and flooding, as well as a series of economic development successes.
The bill\u2019s opponents say they\u2019ve got the public on their side and predict Beshear will benefit. They pointed to statewide polling released last month showing a majority of Kentuckians believe decisions over a transgender teen\u2019s health care should be left with the parent, not determined by the state.
\u201cFolks who have never been involved with politics or legislation have been activated by the Kentucky General Assembly\u2019s all-out war on LGBTQ kids,\u201d said Chris Hartman, executive director of the Kentucky-based Fairness Campaign.
Social conservatives in Kentucky were dealt a setback in last year\u2019s general election when statewide voters rejected a ballot measure aimed at denying any constitutional protections for abortion.
The transgender health care bill sparked emotional responses from opponents as it was fast-tracked to legislative passage by GOP supermajorities in mid-March. It would ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors. It would outlaw gender reassignment surgery for anyone under 18, as well as the use of puberty blockers and hormones, and inpatient and outpatient gender-affirming hospital services.
Doctors would have to set a timeline to \u201cdetransition\u201d children already taking puberty blockers or undergoing hormone therapy. They could continue offering care as they taper a child\u2019s treatments if removing them from the treatment immediately could harm the child.
The bill\u2019s supporters say they\u2019re trying to protect children from undertaking gender-affirming treatments they might regret as adults. Research shows such regret is rare. Gender-affirming medical treatments have long been available in the U.S. and are endorsed by major medical associations.
The bill would require school districts to devise bathroom policies that, \u201cat a minimum,\u201d would not allow transgender children to use the bathroom aligned with their gender identities. And it would allow teachers to refuse to refer to transgender students by the pronouns they use and would require schools to notify parents when lessons related to human sexuality are going to be taught.
Debates over transgender rights garnered considerable attention throughout Kentucky\u2019s legislative session, but in Pike County in eastern Kentucky, the issue has been a non-factor, said Pike County Judge-Executive Ray Jones II, a Democrat who supports Beshear.
\u201cIt\u2019s not even been an issue up here,\u201d said Jones, a former state senator. \u201cPeople are worried about inflation, they\u2019re worried about the economy, they\u2019re worried about jobs. Nobody\u2019s called my office to discuss transgender issues.\u201d
Summing up the potential political fallout from the veto, Jones said: \u201cPeople who would vote because of the governor\u2019s veto would likely not vote for him anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n