Gov. Tony Evers said he would veto a bill that bars transgender college students in Wisconsin from participating in women’s sports, calling it a “non-starter” for him, in an interview with The Daily Cardinal Wednesday.
“I historically stay on the side of transgender kids and people all across the state of Wisconsin, so it's a non-starter for me, the Legislature knows it's a non-starter for me,” Evers said.
The Republican-backed bill, which passed the Assembly and is now awaiting a vote in the Senate, requires University of Wisconsin System institutions and technical colleges to designate athletic teams based on the sex of the participating students and prohibits students assigned male at birth from competing on teams designated for females.
The bill further prohibits male students from using locker rooms designated for females and applies to intramural and club teams — not just to varsity athletics.
UW-Madison Athletic Board Chair, Doug McLeod said the issue of transgender athletes in Badger athletics “isn’t something we’ve discussed in my seven year tenure on the athletic board as far as something that’s influencing athletics” and that he was unsure if a transgender athlete even has requested to participate on a women's sports team.
The NCAA President Charlie Baker testified in December that there are fewer than 10 transgender athletes out of the more than 500,000 total athletes.
A similar bill that applies to K-12 schools across Wisconsin is also awaiting a vote in the Senate. Both bills passed in the Assembly last March along party lines.
While supporters of the bill argue the changes would protect female athletes from a competitive disadvantage and injury, opponents say the bill sends a broader message of exclusion and targets marginalized residents in the state.
“It’s a little bit shocking that we need to pass legislation protecting girls’ sports and girls’ locker rooms. Those who demand that girls and women simply accept men into their athletic competitions and their private spaces are wrong,” Rep. Scott Krug, R-Rome, said in a March press release.
During a public hearing in March, Abigail Swetz, executive director of Fair Wisconsin, a statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights and political advocacy organization, testified that while the legislation would directly affect a small number of athletes, its broader impact would be felt across the transgender community and beyond.
“The message they send reverberates throughout the trans community, and our entire Wisconsin community,” Swetz said.“These bills are about more than just the makeup of a team — they are about excluding trans people from public life, and we cannot allow that.”
The NCAA updated its participation policy on Feb. 6, 2025 following an executive order from the Trump administration.
In the new policy, the men's category remains open to all eligible student-athletes while the women's category is restricted to student-athletes assigned female at birth.
Clara Strecker is the state news editor for The Daily Cardinal. She previously served as copy chief. Clara has written in-depth on the 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court race, the 2024 presidential election and abortion rights. She will spend the summer interning with WisPolitics. Follow her on X at @clara_strecker.
