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Assembly Passes Gender Legislation
There are two themes from the Wisconsin Capitol after Republicans in the Assembly approved a number of pieces of legislation on gender.
Republicans say they voted to protect kids and common sense, while Democrats say they voted to stop hate.
The Assembly approved most of the bills on strict-party line votes, though Democrat Russell Goodwin, D-Milwaukee, did vote for the legislation that would stop boys from playing on girls’ teams in the state.
“Today, Assembly Republicans have taken a stand for fairness, safety, and the integrity of girl’s and women’s sports,” Rep. Jim Piwowarczyk, R-Hubertus, said. “As a coach, I’ve seen firsthand how much effort girls put into their athletic pursuits. Allowing biological males to compete on girl’s and women’s teams is not just unfair—it’s an attack on their hard work, their safety, and their opportunities. We are taking action today to stop this madness.”
But Rep. Alex Joers, D-Waunakee, had a vastly different take of the same votes.
“I am devastated that Legislative Republicans have decided the best use of the state’s time and resources is to deny the existence and lived experiences of LGBTQ+ Wisconsinites. Over the years, Republican legislators put forward a number of bills that are harmful to our LGBTQ+ community, particularly our trans Wisconsinites," he said in a statement.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said Republicans are simply delivering on the will of the people.
“The public is at 80% on these topics. I’m sure that we will not get 80% today because the Democrats are so beholden to virtue signaling and to the small minority of people in your base that think that this is a good idea, that you’re going to vote no,” Vos said.
The gender legislation now all heads to the Wisconsin Senate, where it will likely see the same party line support. But none of them will become law.
Gov. Tony Evers has already promised to veto any plan that he said will make Wisconsin “less safe” for trans people in the state.
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