Utah governor vetoes transgender athlete bill, citing high suicide rates: ‘I want them to live’

This story has been updated.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox became the second Republican governor in the past week to veto a bill that would have barred transgender athletes from competing in girls’ sports, writing an impassioned letter to state GOP leaders on Tuesday explaining his decision.

Cox cited “fundamental flaws” in the legislation, known as H.B. 11. But chief among the governor’s concerns were the mental health impacts such a bill could have on transgender youths in the state, he wrote.