Governor Andy Beshear has publicly addressed his position on medical intervention for minors who identify as transgender following the release of a political attack ad.
Beshear has been accused of supporting the controversial procedures by Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, a Republican who is challenging Beshear, the incumbent Democrat, in 2024.
Beshear’s reelection campaign released an ad titled “Parents” wherein he denies Cameron’s accusations.
“My faith guides me as governor and as a dad. I’m a deacon in my church and I believe that all children are children of God,” Beshear says. He calls Cameron’s claims “not true” and that he has “never supported” gender reassignment surgery for kids.
“Those procedures don’t happen here in Kentucky,” the governor says in the video. “When I took office, I vowed to support parents because, as parents, we know what’s best for our kids — not politicians in Frankfurt or Washington.”
In March, Beshear vetoed Senate Bill 150 – which banned prescribing hormones or performing surgeries on minors who identify as transgender and prohibited schools from requiring teachers to use a student’s preferred pronouns. The bill also requires students to use bathrooms that correspond with their sex at birth.
Beshear said the bill “allows too much government interference in personal healthcare issues and rips away the freedom of parents to make medical decisions for their children.” He also said it would cause “an increase in suicide among Kentucky’s youth,” per WTVQ.
The governor's actions were denounced by Kentucky Republicans, including Cameron.
"SB 150 protects our youth from irreversible procedures," said Cameron in a statement, per LEX 18. "Beshear vetoed this bill because he is beholden to the far left. Today, his veto was overridden. I stand ready to defend this law and protect the well-being of our most precious resource, our children."
The Republican Party of Kentucky said Beshear’s veto was evidence of “how radical he truly is.”
According to WHAS 11, “Kentucky's showdown for governor is one of the most closely watched campaigns this year and could provide insight about voter sentiment heading into 2024 elections for the White House and Congress.”
Beshear’s campaign said the Republican challenger’s accusations are proof of Beshear’s strong position in the state.
"Andy Beshear has always been clear that he does not support gender reassignment surgery for minors – which doesn’t happen in Kentucky," Eric Hyers, Beshear's campaign manager, told Fox News on July 28. "Daniel Cameron and his allies are pushing a blatantly false attack because they know they can’t win talking about Cameron’s record, which includes supporting cuts to teacher pensions and backing schemes to divert money out of our public schools."
Cameron was endorsed by former President Donald Trump and is the first Black candidate to be either major political party’s nominee in the Kentucky gubentorial race.
“Despite Kentucky's conservative lean, the governor's race is widely expected to be competitive in November, with both Cameron and Beshear having a shot at victory,” reports Newsweek. “Beshear is a popular governor who narrowly defeated former Governor Matt Bevin in 2019, winning by less than half a percentage point.”
