Wisconsin Democratic Governor Tony Evers vetoed a bill to ban self-described transgender students from competing in sports leagues meant for members of the opposite sex.

Republican lawmakers recently approved a bill which would have required educational institutions to “expressly designate” their sports teams as male, female, or co-ed, then forbid “pupils of the male sex from participating on an athletic team” designated for females. Evers vetoed the legislation and claimed that the bill “fails to comport with our Wisconsin values.”

“We expect our kids to treat each other with kindness, respect, empathy, and compassion, and we should be able to expect adults to lead by example,” he wrote in his veto statement. “I urge the Republican majority to do so while fully considering the harmful consequences its efforts and actions have on our kids prior to introducing similar legislation in the future.”

Republicans presently control both the Wisconsin State Assembly and the Wisconsin State Senate but lack the votes necessary to override the veto from Evers.

Evers, who has pledged to veto any “anti-LGBTQ legislation sent to his desk,” nixed the legislation as he was surrounded by “LGBTQ youth, families, advocates, elected officials, and community members.” He affirmed that he would “veto any bill that makes Wisconsin a less safe, less inclusive, and less welcoming place for LGBTQ people and kids.”

At least twenty-three states have now passed prohibitions on transgender surgeries and hormone procedures for minors, which have been criticized for the irreversible physical harm they render and the biological impossibility of changing individual sex. At least twenty states have likewise approved blanket bans on males from participating in female sports leagues.