U.S. Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH-04) took to social media on Tuesday to offer a comment pertaining to the ongoing debate among state officials and lawmakers regarding House Bill 68.
“Men shouldn’t play women’s sports in Ohio or anywhere,” Jordan wrote on X.
Men shouldn’t play women’s sports in Ohio or anywhere.
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) January 2, 2024
House Bill 68 combines two bills: the Saving Ohio Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act and the Save Women’s Sports Act. Governor Mike DeWine vetoed the legislation on Friday.
The SAFE Act, if enacted, would prevent doctors from providing minors with gender-affirming care. The Save Women’s Sports Act, if enacted, would prevent biological males who identify as transgender from participating in girls’ and women’s sports.
Justifying his veto of the legislation, DeWine argued the “gut-wrenching decisions” regarding gender dysphoria when it pertains to minors should be made by parents.
When pressed on the Save Women’s Sports Act portion of the bill, the governor said his decision was solely made based on his disagreements with the SAFE Act.
Jordan’s Tuesday comment joins a group of lawmakers in the Ohio Congressional delegation that have spoken out against the governor’s veto of House Bill 68.
Ohio U.S. Representative Max Miller (R-OH-07) wrote on X, “As I have said before, children should not be able to make permanent life-altering medical decisions & men should not be able to play in women’s sports. Ohio must protect our children & women.”
Ohio U.S. Representative Warren Davidson (R-OH-08) also reacted to the governor’s veto on X, writing, “Don’t hurt people and don’t take their stuff. Pretty basic. Governments get involved because people have a hard time living that way. Ohio HB 68 protects KIDS from being hurt for life, and literally having their most personal ‘stuff’ taken for life.”
“Shame on you @GovMikeDeWine. xy ≠ xx,” Davidson added.
Ohio U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) said he was “extremely disappointed” in DeWine’s decision to veto the bill, saying the governor’s argument that decisions regarding gender-affirming care being provided to minors should be made by parents is a “slogan, not a justification.”
DeWine’s decision to veto the bill was also widely denounced by many activists, organizations, and lawmakers, as previously reported by The Ohio Star.
Shortly after DeWine’s veto of the bill, Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) released a statement announcing the GOP caucus will discuss taking the “appropriate next steps” as the bill passed by “veto-proof majorities in each chamber.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
