Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine recently rattled the GOP when he vetoed HB 68, the Saving Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act.
The bill would have both protected fairness in women’s sports and prohibited cross-sex hormones, puberty blockers, and body-modifying gender-related surgeries for minors under the age of 18. Shortly after his veto, however, DeWine issued an transgender-focused “emergency” executive order. But it fell abysmally short of HB 68’s aims.
While DeWine was apparently keen to prevent minors from mutilating their bodies in pursuit of gender orthodoxy, he seemed unconvinced that preventing chemical castration of minors or protecting fairness and safety in girls’ sports were worthy undertakings. His order was silent on both.
Banning only transgender surgeries for minors was a grasp at low-hanging fruit. And DeWine’s veto of a…
