THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

Among those signing the letter were Govs. Kristi Noem of South Dakota, Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas, Tate Reeves of Mississippi, Mike Parson of Missouri, Greg Gianforte of Montana, Joe Lombardo of Nevada, Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, Greb Abbott of Texas and Mark Gordon of Wyoming.

Of these states, all except Nevada have passed legislation banning trans youth from participating in school sports on teams that align with their gender.

In part, the letter states, "Due to the lack of action at the federal level, governors have become the last line of defense for protecting fairness in women's and girls' sports. Many of us have gotten legislation signed into law to ensure this fairness, but more can always be done." The missive also refers to anti-trans activist/athlete Riley Gaines, who lost to trans competitor Lia Thomas in a swimming race.

In a statement, ACLU of Wyoming Executive Director Libby Skarin called the letter "another attempt to erase transgender people from society while stirring up support from their base of anti-trans activists with fearmongering tactics and discriminatory rhetoric that harm some of the most vulnerable people in our state."

—Andrew Davis