Bill Maher slams ‘high-approval-rating’ Kentucky Gov Andy Beshear over vetoed trans sports bill

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Comedian Bill Maher confronted Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear over his veto of a bill banning men from women’s sports and restricting gender-affirming therapy for minors.

He noted that both bills, later overridden by the legislature, could impact Beshear’s standing in the Democratic primary. Beshear defended his vetoes while Maher challenged him on their impact.

Bill Maher questions Andy Beshear's stance on trans rights

The conversation took place on Friday night’s edition of HBO’s 'Real Time with Bill Maher,' where the guest was Democratic Governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear. Maher, who frequently voices anti-trans rhetoric, expressed surprise that Beshear maintains a “very high approval rating” despite vetoing the bills in question.

Maher said, “But you have this very high approval rating in your state, and yet it’s a conservative state, and you still vetoed two gender bills that the legislature overrode, which will do you well in the Democratic primary. Just briefly describe what those bills were and what your reasoning is on this.”

Beshear explained, “Yeah, those were both bills that mainly addressed our LGBTQ population. They were mean, they were unnecessary. Most of the time, they were meant to score political points and or hurt me in a 2023 election. What did they say? They were trying to eliminate different types of therapy, both for adults and for kids. And I think that there can be certain…”

Maher then interrupted by asking, “Are you talking about s*x change?”, to which Beshear replied, “Oh no, certain limitations certainly for kids, I think, are appropriate.”

Andy Beshear urges balance between fairness and inclusion in sports

When asked about girls in sports, Beshear replied, “There was a bill on that, but here’s the thing. I care too much about sports to want to let the government run them. You look at where we were in Kentucky, and we didn’t have a single issue that you saw in the rest of the country. We had a high school athletic association that had these really great policies that prevented any unfair advantage."

He continued, "They were really specific. The only athlete that we had that was trans in the state was a seventh grader. And she had started a high school field hockey team to make friends.”

He concluded by saying, “Certainly we ought to be able to prevent unfair advantages in the high school and the college level without making life harder for a seventh grader.”  

Andy Beshear defends veto of Kentucky’s ‘Fairness in Women’s Sports Act’

In April 2022, Beshear vetoed a bill that would mandate student athletes to participate in sports based on the s*x listed on their birth certificates.

Senate Bill 83, known as the Fairness in Women's Sports Act, passed the state Senate in a 26–9 vote and was then sent to Beshear, who subsequently issued his veto.

“Transgender children deserve public officials' efforts to demonstrate that they are valued members of our communities through compassion, kindness, and empathy, even if not understanding,” Beshear said in a letter.