The Kentucky Republican-controlled legislature voted Wednesday to overturn Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of legislation banning trans athletes from competing in gender-segregated sports events from sixth to college. The expected move came after Beshear refused to sign Senate Bill 83 last week, claiming it was likely unconstitutional. He said the law “discriminates against transgender people” and would therefore not stand in court. Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfurt, Kentucky on July 29, 2019. (Photo by Raymond Boyd / Getty Images) The measure is now law in the state, as Republicans overwhelmed the veto of the law, which was initially passed by the state House with 70 votes against 23 and the Senate with 26 votes against 9 against. PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE passed a bill that avoids transgender women from competing in women’s sports Under the new law, a student’s gender will be determined by the “biological sex” on the student’s birth certificate “as originally issued at birth or adoption”. This means that individuals who turned into women later in life could not participate in sports teams designated women in the state. Republican Sen. Robbie Mills, the bill’s main sponsor, said the measure would ensure that girls and women would compete with other “biological women.” Andy Beshear, Governor of Kentucky, speaks during a press conference in Frankfort, Kentucky, USA on Thursday, January 27, 2022. (Jon Cherry / Bloomberg via Getty Images) Mills said the bill reflects the concerns of parents across Bluegrass State. He said he was “thinking ahead” to prevent situations where girls or women compete unfairly with biological males. “It would be overwhelming for a young girl to train her entire career to end up competing with a biological man in the state tournament or in the state finals,” Mills said during a previous debate on the bill. In vetoing the measure, Beshear said his supporters had failed to present a “single case” in Kentucky of anyone gaining a competitive advantage as a result of “gender reassignment.” CLICK HERE TO RECEIVE THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION A car appears to be driving next to the Capitol on January 16, 2021 in Frankfort, Kentucky. (Jon Cherry / Getty Images) “Trans children deserve the efforts of civil servants to show that they are valuable members of our communities through compassion, kindness and empathy, even if they do not understand,” the governor wrote. The measure was also criticized by others in the state. “This bill is a solution to the search for a non-existent problem,” said Samuel Crankshaw, a spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky. “It has its roots in hatred and is unconstitutional.” Fox News Timothy HJ Nerozzi and the Associated Press contributed to this article.
