Ohio will restrict transgender women’s and girls’ participation in sports after the Republican-dominated Senate voted Wednesday to override GOP Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto.
The legislation bans transgender girls and women from girls’ and women’s sports at both the K-12 and collegiate level, with officials expecting the law to take effect in roughly 90 days.
The override cleared the chamber 24-8 mostly along party lines, save Sen. Nathan Manning, a Republican from Cuyahoga County who has consistently broken from his party on the issue. The Republican-majority House had voted to override the veto earlier this month.
At least 20 states have approved a version of a blanket ban on transgender athletes playing in K-12 and collegiate sports statewide, but a Biden administration proposal to forbid such outright bans is set to be finalized this year after multiple delays and much pushback. As proposed, the rule would establish that blanket bans would violate Title IX, the landmark gender-equity legislation enacted in 1972.