Dear editor, 

The decision by Gov. Gordon to sign the anti-abortion “Senate Enrolled Act 93,” allow its counterpart “House Enrolled Act 88” to become law without his signature and to do the same for the anti-trans “Senate Enrolled Act 92” demonstrates not only a mistake, but also a sign of how far our state has fallen. Gov. Gordon admitted to the shortcomings in these legislations, and even admitted that the latter was draconian and discriminatory, but allowed them to go forward anyway. The anti-abortion laws punish both women and the medical community. The anti-trans law, which would ban transgender boys from participating in school sports, pays heed to individual circumstances and subjects transgender youth to a much higher degree of scrutiny than their cisgender peers.  Rather than attempting to map out the nuances of any of these issues, these legislations simply attempt to put a hard stop on what legislators feel threatened by in the ongoing culture war. As a result, the people of this state do not have their freedom enhanced, but rather, they find it restricted. This only serves to make the state a less appealing place to live. More filled with hate, discrimination and difficulty. For anyone who wants to continue living here, I can only suggest that you consult experts, to consider your options regarding abortion, discuss with your child whether to boycott school sports (a whole other world of controversy and toxicity anyway) and consider writing your own letters, mounting your own protests and joining your own lawsuits. There is no place for these toxic policies in Wyoming.

Sincerely,

Connor M. Thompson, Cheyenne