Women’s groups call Braun transgender sports executive orders ‘morally wrong and irresponsible’
A group of women’s advocacy organizations sent a letter to Gov. Mike Braun Friday to condemn his recent executive orders to ban transgender women and girls from sports.
The groups called the executive orders “morally wrong and irresponsible.”
“These orders unfairly attack transgender Hoosiers, whom we know as our neighbors, family members, and yes, even our sisters and siblings. We note the cynicism of cloaking this action in a message of ‘protecting women.’ We want to be very clear: Governor Braun, we don’t need or want that kind of protection,” the letter said.
Braun said Tuesday the executive orders were meant to support House Bill 1041, a measure moving through the legislature to ban transgender women from playing in collegiate athletics. And a second order directs executive branch agencies to “enforce the biological binary” of gender. It also creates definitions and bans gender-neutral language to acknowledge transgender and nonbinary Hoosiers.
READ MORE: Advocates say Braun executive orders tell transgender Hoosiers: ‘You don’t belong here’
Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates is among the 10 groups that signed the letter. Indiana State Director Haley Bougher said the executive orders are “cruel” and undermine Hoosier values.
“There are so many other legislative actions that Hoosiers would call upon him to do, to actually protect Hoosier women,” she said.
She pointed to Indiana’s maternal and infant mortality rates, as well as the ripple effects of the state’s near-total abortion ban. Bougher said the recent executive orders do nothing to protect women — and really have nothing to do with sports.
“These are extremist efforts that we’re seeing in Indiana and across the country to erase transgender people,” she said.
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Since 2022, lawmakers have passed laws banning transgender girls from school sports and gender-affirming care for transgender youth. They also passed a version of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law. Bougher said these efforts affect transgender Hoosiers — especially trans youth.
“The stat that I always come back to is: 78 percent of transgender youth report that they’ve been bullied for being trans,” she said. “I mean, this is a population that has had mental health concerns, that is just absolutely exacerbated by our government.”
Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, Women4Change, League of Women Voters of Indiana, Stand Up Indiana, Good Trouble Coalition, Indiana Task Force Inc., The Startup Ladies, American Association of University Women of Indiana, Martin Luther King Dream Team and YWCA of East Central Indiana all signed on to the letter.
Lauren is our digital editor. Contact her at [email protected] or follow her on Bluesky at @laurenechapman.bsky.social.
