Arizona Governor Doug Ducey (R-Ariz.) vetoed a bill on Tuesday that would have severely restricted the contents of sex education in the state’s public school systems, as reported by AZ Central.
Senate Bill 1456, sponsored by State Senator Nancy Barto (R-Ariz.), was widely supported by Republicans but opposed by Democrats. The bill would have implemented heavy restrictions on the inclusion of content relating to gay or “transgender” aspects of sex, including AIDS and “gender identity.” Critics falsely claim that such a bill would violate the “civil rights” of “transgender” people, those who suffer from a mental illness where they believe themselves to be of the opposite gender.
But upon vetoing the bill, Ducey subsequently issued an executive order directing any public schools to give notice of their intentions to use such curriculum before actually implementing it. Among other provisions, school systems must make any and all materials related to such curriculum available for public review for at least 60 days, and must allow public hearings on any such proposals.
The move is widely seen as an attempt at placating Republican voters who supported the bill, with Ducey claiming that his order would allow parents “a meaningful opportunity” to give their input before their school systems start teaching such courses.
Governor Ducey’s actions are similar to those taken by South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) when her Republican-led legislature passed a bill that would prohibit so-called “transgender” athletes from participating in sports for the wrong gender, a trend which has increasingly led to biological males dominating female sports. After Noem initially signaled that she would sign the bill, she vetoed it after pressure from corporations such as Amazon, and instead issued an executive order in an attempt to appease her base after backlash over the veto.