Vetoes show lack of GOP lockstep on transgender sports bans

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST and SAM METZ
Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Republican governors in two states this week rejected legislation to ban transgender players from girls sports. The vetoes illustrate some remaining fractures among GOP leaders over how to navigate gender’s reemergence as a culture war issue. Still, those decisions to buck the party’s conservative wing could prove short-lived against a fired-up GOP base. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb vetoed bills passed by state lawmakers that would ban transgender girls from participating in gender-designated youth sports. Their opposition puts them at odds with some of their high-profile counterparts in states such as Iowa, Florida and South Dakota, where politically ambitious governors have leaned into the debates.