Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards Vetoes Transgender Sports Ban

By Julie O'Donoghue, Louisiana Illuminator

June 22, 2021

Gov. John Bel Edwards vetoed a ban on transgender women and girls participating in women and girls sporting events, the governor’s office confirmed. The veto didn’t come as a surprise. The governor, a Democrat, had said in April that he intended to reject the legislation if it passed.

Now the question is whether the bill has enough support that lawmakers will attempt to override Edwards’ veto. It would require them to return to Baton Rouge for a veto override session in the middle of July — something that lawmakers have never done in the modern history of the state.

Senate Bill 156, sponsored by Senate President Pro Tempore Beth Mizell, R-Franklinton, would prohibit transgender girls and women from participating in girls and womens sports at the elementary, high school, college and adult level unless the competition was already mixed-gender.

It runs counter to guidelines provided by the NCAA and International Olympic Committee — who both allow transgender women to compete in women sports as long as they take testosterone suppressants.

Lawmakers approved the bill with enough votes to execute an override of the governor’s veto if they wanted. The House passed the legislation 78-19 and the Senate passed it 29-6. They only need two-thirds of each chamber to overturn Edwards’ decision.

When asked whether she would push for a veto override of her bill earlier this month, Mizell pointed out the bill had passed with overwhelming majorities in both chambers, but did not commit to pushing for an override session. The Legislative leadership has also not said whether this bill would spur them to try and have an override session.

Veto overrides after a regular legislative session has ended are basically unheard of in Louisiana, though it is common in several other states. The Legislature has never called itself back into a session for the purpose of overriding a governor’s veto.

But the dynamics between Edwards and the Legislature are unusual. The governor is a Democrat and the Legislature is run by conservative Republicans. A lot of the lawmakers are also in their freshman terms — over half of the Louisiana House is brand new — and may not have as many reservations about voting to return to Baton Rouge in July to overturn a governor’s decision.

Still, the Legislature didn’t make this bill a priority during the session, despite legislators’ voting overwhelmingly for it. The legislative leadership held onto the bill for several days before bringing it up for a vote on the House floor. If they had brought it up for a vote more quickly, they would have made a veto override far easier. The governor would have been forced to veto the bill before the end of the session that concluded this month. They wouldn’t have had to vote to return to Baton Rouge at all for the override because they would have already been present. The House leadership — by delaying a vote on the bill — made a veto override more difficult.

This is a developing story. Please check back with us for more details.

The Louisiana Illuminator is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization driven by its mission to cast light on how decisions are made in Baton Rouge and how they affect the lives of everyday Louisianians, particularly those who are poor or otherwise marginalized.