As in many other U.S. states, Louisiana’s trans sports ban is designed to prohibit transgender athletes, and particularly girls and women, from playing a sport consistent with their gender identity.
This is not the first time that Republicans have tried to pass such legislation.
They proposed restrictions in 31 states and pushed through similar bans in eight states this year - Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Montana, South Dakota, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
Only two have seen them overturned so far, at least temporarily, by veto:
- South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem quickly stepped in to veto similar legislation in her state. She also issued two executive orders.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem
- And Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards followed suit by vetoing a trans sports ban as well.
Shortly after Edwards’ veto, lawmakers did try to override it but fortunately failed.
The Louisiana House voted 68-30 in favor of overriding Edwards’ veto, but it fell two votes short of the amount needed to push the ban into law.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards
Louisiana’s Republican-led effort to override Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards’ veto of a transgender sports ban failed. It was the latest round of state-level battles over transgender rights.
It has been a tough year for LGBTQ rights. According to the Human Rights Campaign, “so far in 2021, 25 anti-LGBTQ bills have been enacted into law; and more than 250 anti-LGBTQ bills have been under consideration in state legislatures across the country. Of those, more than 130 directly target transgender people.”
This is an ongoing story, and the future of LGBTQ rights in Louisiana will depend on what happens next.