Ohio governor says sports leagues, not government, should address transgender issue

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Friday criticized Republican efforts in that state to bar self-identified transgender athletes from competing in sports leagues of the opposite sex, claiming that sports authorities should be the ones to tackle such a problem. 

"This issue is best addressed outside of government," DeWine said in a Friday statement, "through individual sports leagues and athletic associations, including the Ohio High School Athletic Association, who can tailor policies to meet the needs of their member athletes and member institutions."

Critics have argued that the innate physiological advantages conferred upon boys after puberty render them unfair competition to female athletes even after the former begin identifying as girls and/or taking cross-sex hormones. 

The measure was added to an unrelated bill that addressed collegiate athletics, sparking controversy and generating broad Democratic opposition as well as defections from a number of Republicans.