I cannot help but feel that Utah’s government, along with some other States, is fulfilling one of the requirements of a liberal democracy is an exceedingly clumsy and, perhaps, ineffective way:
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox became the second Republican governor in the past week to veto a bill that would have barred transgender athletes from competing in girls’ sports, writing an impassioned letter to state GOP leaders on Tuesday explaining his decision.
Cox cited “fundamental flaws” in the legislation, known as H.B. 11. But chief among the governor’s concerns were the mental health impacts such a bill could have on transgender youths in the state, he wrote.
Cox’s decision to veto the bill highlights divisions within the Republican Party on the efficacy and morality of bills restricting the lives of young trans people. GOP leaders in Utah said they plan to override Cox’s veto, which would require approval from two-thirds of the state’s lawmakers. [WaPo]
It definitely feels like Governor Cox is trying to weigh the alternatives, but is caught between Charybdis and Scylla. First, from the right:
Utah Senate President Stuart Adams and House Speaker Brad Wilson said they would call a veto override session to consider the bill on Friday.
“We must work to preserve the integrity of women’s sports and ensure it remains safe and fair for all,” Adams said in a statement.
I have sympathy for both sides in this poor excuse for a debate, but that absolutist statement leaves me thinking this is nothing more than red meat for the base. Meanwhile, on the other side, there also doesn’t appear to be much attempt to see both sides, at least from WaPo’s article, which isn’t going to be comprehensive, no disrespect:
This legislation, whether it passes, has a profound impact on the mental health of trans and nonbinary children, said Amit Paley, chief executive of the Trevor Project, which provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ teens and young adults.
“People literally debating whether trans and nonbinary people exist and whether they are deserving of the same respect and support as other young people — the mere fact of those debates have a negative impact on the health of young people,” Paley said.
And, in the light of the backlash drawn by swimmer Lia Thomas by fellow competitors who feel the competition is unfair, it’s clear that Paley is so committed to the transgender that taking his arguments as being compelling simply means we’ve forgotten about the non-transgender.
I’d feel much more comfortable if a real debate, disregarding absolutism from either side, were to take place. Right now it feels like a proxy war for political foes, with statements carefully phrased to make those who disagree into, depending on the audience, bizarre perverts on the one hand, or bigots on the other.
Conclusions pre-supposed and terrible punishments inflicted on those who weren’t around for the debate that didn’t happen, with names like Dawkins, Rowling, and Atwood.
