Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb vetoes transgender girls sports ban

Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, a Republican, on Monday vetoed a bill that seeks to ban transgender girls from participating in girls team sports.

In his veto letter, Holcomb, who previously signaled his support, said that the legislation "falls short" of providing a statewide policy for "fairness in K-12 sports."

"The presumption of the policy laid out in HEA 1041 is that there is an existing problem in K-12 sports in Indiana that requires further state government intervention," Holcomb wrote. "It implies that the goals of consistency and fairness in competitive female sports are not currently being met. After thorough review, I find no evidence to support either claim even if I support the effort overall."

Simple majorities in both the Indiana House and Senate are needed to override Holcomb's veto. Republicans have large majorities in both chambers.

The ACLU of Indiana cheered the governor's action, saying in a tweet that "when we fight for trans kids, we win."

"This victory belongs to the trans youth of Indiana, who deserve to live as their authentic selves and to play the sports they love, free from discrimination. #LetKidsPlay," the group tweeted.

"This win wouldn't have been possible without the thousands of Hoosiers who voiced their strong opposition to state legislators and who showed up at the Statehouse to oppose their harmful bill," they added.

Eleven GOP-led states have enacted similar bans.