PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has vetoed Republican-sponsored legislation to restrict use of public school restrooms by transgender students.
The veto was among several the Democratic governor made on Thursday.
Under the bill, public schools in Arizona would have to establish other accommodations for a student who refused to use a multi-occupancy bathroom or changing area of the gender they were assigned at birth. The law would also have applied to sleeping quarters on school-sponsored overnight trips.
Republican lawmakers argue that the legislation would protect children, but Hobbs disagrees and has previously said she will not support any legislation that targets LGBTQ youth.
Last month, Hobbs vetoed a bill that would have compelled schools not to refer to transgender students by the names or pronouns they identify with.
LGBTQ rights have become a target in GOP-majority state legislatures like Arizona. Last year, then-Gov. Doug Ducey signed a law banning trans girls from participating in school sports.
This week, a Pride flag was burned outside of a City Hall building in Tempe, Arizona. The incident is under investigation, city officials said.
“We will not stand by while someone tries to threaten, bully and intimidate members of our community," Tempe Mayor Corey Woods said in a statement about the flag-burning. "We will continue our efforts to make our city stronger, even more welcoming, and even more inclusive. We support our LGBTQ+ community. We stand as one with them.”
