PHOENIX, AZ — Today, Independent Women condemns Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs for once again failing women by vetoing the Arizona Sex-based Terms Act (House Bill 2062), inspired by Independent Women’s Stand With Women legislation, introduced by Arizona State Representative Lisa Fink (R-27). With this indefensible decision, Governor Hobbs has again prioritized a radical ideological agenda over the safety, privacy, and rights of women and girls in Arizona.
The Arizona Legislature passed this pro-woman legislation to preserve the legal existence of women as distinct from men and help safeguard the existence of single-sex spaces—including rape crisis centers, locker rooms, and prisons—by fortifying the definitions of male and female terms in law.
The bill, modeled after Independent Women’s sex definitions, has overwhelming public support and provided Governor Hobbs a second opportunity to do the right thing after she shamefully vetoed similar legislation last year. Instead, she doubled down on her anti-woman stance.
By rejecting Arizona’s Stand With Women legislation, Governor Hobbs has actively obstructed efforts to ensure:
- That sex-based terms such as ‘woman’ and ‘man’ are legally defined to protect privacy, safety, and fairness;
- That women and girls keep the right to single-sex spaces and opportunities; and
- That public records accurately reflect biological sex.
Arizona State Representative Lisa Fink (R-27) and sponsor of HB 2062, said, “I am grateful to the Arizona Legislature and organizations, like Independent Women and the Center for Arizona Policy, for prioritizing women and girls in Arizona. It is astounding that Governor Hobbs would veto such a simple, yet essential piece of legislation. HB 2062 only defines commonly accepted sex-based terms, already used in Arizona state code. And yet, once again, Gov. Hobbs has favored ideology over what is best for women and girls.”
Christy Narsi, the Phoenix, Arizona chair and national chapter director of Independent Women’s Network, said, “Governor Hobbs, a female governor, made it clear that she refuses to stand with women and, in doing so, refuses to stand with Arizona voters, like myself. Gov. Hobbs had a second chance to preserve women’s rights this year, but she vetoed HB 2062. Similar legislation has received bipartisan support across the country. Gov. Hobbs is out of touch with the public and even those of her own party. With a re-election around the corner, voters have the responsibility to hold Gov. Hobbs accountable for her disregard of biological reality and failure to truly fight sex-discrimination.”
Beth Parlato, Independent Women Senior Legal Advisor, said, “We thank Rep. Fink for boldly introducing legislation to define sex-based terms during her first term in office and our partners on the ground, Center for Arizona Policy, for championing this bill throughout the session. We need more Stand with Women champions like them across the country. Sadly, the rights of women and girls won’t be fully safeguarded until Gov. Hobbs has the courage to sign pro-woman legislation into law. By vetoing the Arizona Sex-Based Terms Act, she has ignored the 80%+ of Americans that recognize the biological differences between women and men and acknowledge the necessity of single-sex spaces.”
Peter Gentala, President of Center for Arizona Policy, said, “The Arizona Sex Based Terms Act is an instrumental step towards protecting truth and providing clarity in the law. Defining sex-based terms already used in statute will safeguard women from sex discrimination, protect single sex spaces, and provide clear direction forward. While it is disappointing to see this crucial legislation vetoed, we remain committed to advocating to protect women from harmful ‘subjective’ realities.”
###