Arizona governor vetoes anti-trans bills and tells lawmakers to focus on ‘real issues’
Governor of Arizona Katie Hobbs. (Alex Kent/Getty Images)
Governor of Arizona Katie Hobbs. (Alex Kent/Getty Images)
The governor of Arizona has vetoed a set of anti-trans bills and urged Republican lawmakers to focus on the real problems facing Americans.
Democrat Katie Hobbs, who has blocked similar proposed legislation in the past, refused to sign into law three bills, one of which would have prevented trans people updating their gender marker on their birth certificates. The other two were aimed at trans people in higher education and workplaces.
“Today, I vetoed House Bill 2438,” Hobbs said. “This [gender marker] bill will not lower costs, will not increase opportunity, and will not enhance security or freedom for Arizona. I encourage the legislature to focus on real issues that matter and impact people’s every-day lives.”
Of the proposed ban on state funding for any colleges offering courses relating to diversity, equity and inclusion, she said: “Today, I vetoed Senate Bill 1694. Our state universities and community colleges play a vital role in developing Arizona’s workforce, improving our economy and strengthening our quality of life through transformational research. Jeopardising their state funding with a bill that lacks clarity, attacks their future stability and would lead to negative effects on the state’s workforce and economy.”
Republicans are unlikely to be able override the vetoes because they fall short of the two-thirds majority required in both the state house and senate.
Earlier this year, the governor blocked proposed legislation which would have effectively erased trans people from legal recognition in the Grand Canyon State. She has vowed to veto any bill that would diminish the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, the Arizona Mirror reported.
On her first day in office, in January 2023, Hobbs signed an executive order extending employment protections to LGBTQ+ state employees. A few months later, she passed a law stopped state agencies being able to promote or fund conversion therapy, and another allowing state employee health insurance plans to cover gender-affirming surgery, which had previously been banned.
According to the Trans Legislation Tracker, there are 725 active anti-trans bills going through the legislature in the US at the moment, with 93 having passed into law so far this year.
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