On Wednesday morning, Governor Tony Evers kept his promise to protect transgender and non-binary youth in Wisconsin by vetoing Assembly Bill 465 and Senate Bill 480. This harmful legislation would have denied transgender youth the ability to access best practice gender-affirming care and allowed politicians to insert themselves into private medical decisions that should be between youth, their parents, and their doctors. 

Fair Wisconsin’s Executive Director Megin McDonell issued the following statement: 

“Best practice standards of care for trans youth are supported by every major medical association in the country, and bans on that care have been opposed by those same medical associations. The authors of these bills know this, yet they still fast-tracked them to a committee hearing and a floor vote, where they passed along party lines.

However, the strength and courage that our queer and trans youth showed when they came to the State Capitol and spoke in opposition to these bills was remarkable. The stories they told were raw, emotional, and heart-wrenching. They traveled from across the state with their parents, siblings, and friends, and they used their voices to stand up for their rights when they should simply have been playing with their friends or studying at school. No one should ever have to beg the state for their basic human rights.

Fair Wisconsin has firmly stood by the side of these youth, and so has Governor Evers. He knows the incredible harm that these bills would cause if they were to become law, and he has repeatedly pledged to veto any legislation that makes Wisconsin a less safe place for LGBTQ+ youth. Governor Evers has kept his promise. His veto is a reminder that you and every trans person belongs in Wisconsin.” 

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