Riley Gaines BLASTS Mike DeWine, calls him “a spineless coward” after Ohio Governor vetoes transgender women’s sports bill

House Bill 68 would have seen prohibiting the access to gender-affirming treatment for minors and would have put a ban on participation of trans athletes in women's sports.

Riley Gaines BLASTS Mike DeWine, calls him “a spineless coward” after Ohio Governor vetoes transgender women’s sports bill

Riley Gaines (L) and Mike DeWine (R) [Pic Credit: Imago/AP]

Former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines has once again found herself fighting against a government official. On Friday, the 23-year-old launched a brutal attack on Ohio Governor Mike DeWine after he vetoed a transgender women’s sports bill.

Gaines has been highly active this year in trying to push out laws that would see the ban on trans athletes from competing in women’s sports. This all comes after her own experience with Lia Thomas, a trans swimmer who tied with her at the NCAA championship.

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The Ohio House Bill 68 would have seen laws passed on prohibiting access to gender-affirming treatment for minors and putting a ban on transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports. The Bill was reported to have been around his desk for a while and after long consideration, the governor decided not to sign it.

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His decision caused a massive outrage on social media as several people slammed him. Gaines joined them, took to her X account and wrote:

@GovMikeDeWine is a spineless coward that needs to be removed from office.
Riley Gaines on Governor DeWine vetoing House Bill 68 on X.

Gaines who was recently named the Problematic Women of the Year 2023, did not back down from attacking the Governor. She had been urging the government official to sign it and pointed out several issues in front of him that explained the troubles women athletes had been facing due to the inclusion of trans athletes in their category.

Governor Mike DeWine clarifies reason for vetoing House Bill 68

As the time ticked down for House Bill 68 to pass, several heads turned their attention toward the words of Governor Mike DeWine. His decision to veto the House Bill 68 has sparked several debates online. In his reason for vetoing the bill, the governor claimed it was ultimately about “protecting human life“.

Mike DeWine
Mike DeWine (Pic Credit: AP)

The 76-year-official during the press conference stated how several parents had come to him and told him stories about how their children would not have survived had they not received treatment from Ohio’s children’s hospital.

Ultimately I believe this is about protecting human life... Were I to sign House Bill 68, or were House Bill 68 to become law, Ohio would be saying that the state, that the government knows better what is medically best for a child than the two people who love that child the most: The parents.
Governor Mike DeWine as a part of his answer on vetoing the House Bill 68 as per The Washington Post.

There have been several bills that have been passed around different states of the US to prevent trans athletes from participating in women’s sports. It now remains to be seen what further decision will be made regarding this. The state of Ohio though does have enough votes to override the decision of Governor DeWine.

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