Republican Governor Ditches Pronouns In Bio Amid Backlash Over His Veto Of Bill Banning Biological Males From Women’s Sports: Report

The Republican governor of Utah has apparently removed pronouns from his Instagram bio amid backlash over his veto of a bill banning biological males from women’s sports.

The state’s legislature quickly overrode the governor’s veto on Friday, and the law is set to go into effect on July 1, defining sex as “the biological, physical condition of being male or female, determined by an individual’s genetics and anatomy at birth” and banning students “of the male sex from competing against another school on a team designated for female students.”

National Review writer Nate Hochman pointed out Friday that the governor had apparently removed his pronouns from his Instagram bio.

“Lol looks like @SpencerJCox decided to remove the pronouns from his instagram bio after the backlash to his veto of the Utah women’s sports bill,” tweeted Hochman.

The governor’s Instagram bio formerly had the words “he/him” next to his name, according to screenshots posted by Hochman, but as of 2:37 p.m. on Friday, the pronouns were gone.

The governor’s office did not respond to requests for comment from The Daily Wire.

Lol looks like @SpencerJCox decided to remove the pronouns from his instagram bio after the backlash to his veto of the Utah women’s sports bill pic.twitter.com/9r54dNeizJ

— Nate Hochman (@njhochman) March 25, 2022

American Principles Project President Terry Schilling hit at the governor over the apparent removal of his pronouns in a Friday tweet.

“We still don’t like you, @SpencerJCox, and now the Left hates you even more,” tweeted Schilling. “Just be who you are and let voters choose who they want. That’s the lesson.”

We still don’t like you, @SpencerJCox, and now the Left hates you even more.

Just be who you are and let voters choose who they want. That’s the lesson. https://t.co/ZcoKLcBLgM

— Terry Schilling 🇺🇸 (@Schilling1776) March 25, 2022

The state sponsor of the bill, Rep. Kera Birkeland, told The Daily Wire in an interview earlier this month that she “definitely” has reason to believe that outside groups like Utah Jazz may have pressured Cox to veto the bill out of concerns that it would impact the NBA All Star Game.

“From the beginning, my goal has been to protect and preserve women’s sports and speak out for Utah’s female athletes,” Birkeland told The Daily Wire on Friday. “We have seen the necessity of such legislation play out recently and I am proud to stand up and fight for girls to have the opportunity to compete on an even playing field.”

“Good policy is made by considering a variety of viewpoints and working to find the right solution,” she added. “Over the past two years, I have made every effort to find a balanced and reasonable solution to a tough and divisive issue and am convinced Utah has taken the right step forward.”

Cox is one of only a few Republican governors to veto similar legislation.

In April 2021, Republican Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson vetoed a bill banning transgender surgeries and procedures for minors (though the state overrode his veto and passed the bill), and Republican South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem drew heavy criticism from conservatives in March 2021 for failing to certify a bill banning biological males from women’s sports.

Noem signed a different bill in February mandating that educational institutions assign students to teams based on biological sex.

The governor, who has strongly pushed back on criticism of her actions, told The Daily Signal in February that the original bill was “deeply flawed” and would have ended up in court.

At least 29 states in the U.S. have made moves to craft or pass legislation banning biological males from women’s sports, according to data compiled by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Other Republican-backed legislation bans minors from obtaining transgender surgeries and hormones — medical interventions that advocates and many in the legacy media frame as “gender-affirming medical care.”

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