Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, vetoed bills on Tuesday that would have codified biological sex definitions and permitted teachers in public schools to read or have a copy of the Ten Commandments in their classrooms.
The move drew criticism from the state Senate Republican caucus, who said Hobbs is "abandoning God" and that laws "should be based in objective reality and uniform for all Arizonans."
"Instead of helping these confused boys and men, Democrats are only fueling the disfunction by pretending biological sex doesn't matter," Republican Senate president Warren Petersen said in a statement. "Our daughters, granddaughters, nieces, and neighbors are growing up in a dangerous time where they are living with an increased risk of being victimized in public bathrooms, showers, and locker rooms because Democrats are now welcoming biological males into what used to be traditionally safe, single-sex spaces."
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SB 1628, called the "Arizona Women's Bill of Rights," would have made the definition of biological sexes, either male or female only, "objective and fixed." It would exclude gender identity "or any other term that is intended to convey a person's subjective sense of self and may not be used as a synonym or substitute for the term sex."
It would also have maintained single-sex spaces "to ensure girls’ and women’s protection and privacy in those spaces, while not changing current law or creating new restrictions on anyone’s legal rights," according to the Republican Caucus.
"As I have said time and again, I will not sign legislation that attacks Arizonans," Hobbs said in a letter explaining her veto.
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Another bill in the Arizona state senate, SB 1151, would have amended the state law to permit educators or administrators in any school to read or post in any school building copies or excerpts of the Ten Commandments.
Hobbs wrote in her veto letter that she had "serious concerns" about the constitutionality of the bill and called it "unnecessary."
"I'm appalled the state's top elected official is abandoning God and the very foundation our country was built upon by not allowing teachers to expose their students to the morals and ethics outlined in the Ten Commandments," Sen. Anthony Kern, one of the bill's sponsors, said in a statement. "When children are exposed to good, noble, honest, and righteous ideas, they are more prone to being better human beings with sound character, able to navigate life's problems with grace, and have a greater chance of treating each other with respect and dignity throughout life."
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During Hobbs' term as governor so far, she has reaffirmed her support for LGBTQ+ issues. Hobbs signed an executive order making gender transition surgeries and hormones covered under state healthcare plans last year.
