Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of a bill banning male-born athletes in female sports has riled Riley Gaines.
The former University of Kentucky swimmer is featured in a $2 million ad campaign unveiled Tuesday taking on Mr. Beshear, a Democrat who’s running for reelection in November against Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron.
The ad starts with photos of Lia Thomas, the transgender swimmer who won the 500-yard freestyle and tied with Ms. Gaines in the 200 freestyle at the 2022 NCAA Division I women’s swimming championships.
“This is Lia Thomas. He’s a male that claims he’s a woman,” says Ms. Gaines in the 30-second ad called “Protect Women.” “This is the trophy that Thomas and I tied for. It’s a trophy that Thomas got to take home, and I went home empty-handed.”
She continues: “And this is trans-rights activist Andy Beshear. He vetoed legislation that would ban men from competing in women’s sports. And this is Daniel Cameron. He’s running against Andy Beshear. He’ll protect women and our sports.”
The ad campaign sponsored by the American Principles Project PAC challenges Mr. Beshear’s reputation as a moderate Democrat by highlighting his record of vetoing transgender-related bills passed by the Republican-led legislature.
SEE ALSO: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear vetoes bill banning male-born athletes from female sports
Today, American Principles Project PAC announced the launch of a $2 million campaign to expose Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear’s extreme record on gender issues.
— American Principles (@approject) September 20, 2023
The effort will utilize digital ads and texting to reach over a million voters in the state ahead of this November’s… pic.twitter.com/aHdiDdRHYq
The Washington Times reached out to the Beshear campaign for comment.
In his veto message last year, Mr. Beshear called the Save Women’s Sports Act discriminatory and unnecessary. He said lawmakers had failed to present “a single instance in Kentucky of a child gaining a competitive advantage as a result of sex reassignment.” The legislature overrode his veto.
A second ad slams Mr. Beshear for vetoing legislation in March to ban gender-transition surgeries and drugs for those under 18 and prohibiting students from using opposite-sex facilities based on gender identity.
“So why is Andy Beshar vetoing legislation that protects kids from permanent, harmful, and sterilizing sex-change drugs and procedures?” says the ad. “If kids can’t consent to sex, how in the world can they consent to a sex change?”
Mr. 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.” The legislature also overrode that veto.
Terry Schilling, president of the APP PAC, said that Mr. Beshear’s vetoes “were a horrific betrayal of Kentucky families.”
“While Beshear still deceitfully claims to be a ‘moderate’ governor, voters deserve to know the truth: he is completely beholden to the radical transgender industry and has as extreme a record as almost any other governor in America,” said Mr. Schilling. “We intend to make sure Kentuckians are fully aware of this fact before they head to the polls this fall.”
Mr. Beshear leads Mr. Cameron in polls released over the summer, including a Hart Research Associates survey last month showing the Democrat ahead with likely voters by 51-42%.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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