The Arizona legislature passed a bill recognizing the existence of only two genders and defining sex-based terms.
The Senate passed HB 2062 on Tuesday along party lines.
The bill from State Rep. Lisa Fink established definitions for the two genders and all related gendered terms: “boy” defined as “a human male who has not yet reached adulthood”; “father” defined as “a male parent of a child or children as defined by law”; “female” defined as “an individual who has, naturally had, will have, or would have, but for a developmental anomaly or accident, the reproductive system that at some point produces ova”; “girl” defined as “a human female who has not yet reached adulthood”; “male” defined as “an individual who has, naturally had, will have, or would have, but for a developmental anomaly or accident, the reproductive system that at some point produces sperm for fertilization of female ova”; “man” defined as “an adult human of the male sex”; and “mother” defined as “a female parent of a child or children as defined by law.”
HB 2062 also defined “sex” to mean “a person’s biological sex, either male or female, at birth.”
Governor Katie Hobbs is unlikely to approve this bill. She vetoed similar legislation last year (SB 1628), writing in a brief explanation letter that she would not harm residents of the state.
“As I have said time and again, I will not sign legislation that attacks Arizonans,” wrote Hobbs.
Hobbs has declared that individuals become the gender they believe they are, as opposed to their biological sex.
On this International Women's Day I want to make it clear that trans women are women, they are welcome here, and any bill that harasses or threatens their safety will swiftly meet my veto stamp.
— Governor Katie Hobbs (@GovernorHobbs) March 8, 2023
The Independent Women’s Network (IWN) — a grassroots activist group heavily involved in preserving sports participation based on biological sex — launched a campaign to urge Hobbs to go back on her past stances on transgenderism and sign HB2062 into law. One of IWN’s most prominent ambassadors is Riley Barker (nee Gaines), the collegiate swimmer turned political activist after losing to Lia Thomas, a male swimmer who identifies as a female.
“Call upon Governor Hobbs to sign this common sense, pro-woman measure into law to prevent sex discrimination in Arizona,” stated IWN. “We cannot fight sex discrimination if we cannot define ‘sex.’”
Senate Democrats argued for the reality of transgenderism. State Sen. Analise Ortiz said that males who believe they are females should be viewed as such.
“This should terrify us because trans women and girls are already a vulnerable population and this would only make them more vulnerable,” said Ortiz. “The explicit goal is to erase trans people from public life, including causing them to lose their jobs. It is wrong. We just need to respect people for who they are.”
"I want our trans community to know that we are not going to stop defending you against these horrific bills like HB2062. You belong, you belong as you are, and trans people will not be erased"
— Arizona Senate Democrats (@AZSenateDems) April 3, 2025
The bill passed out of the House in February, where it also passed along party lines.
State Rep. Stephanie Simacek called the reality of gender “narrow and outdated.”
WATCH: Rep. Stephanie Simacek explains her NO vote on HB2062. The bill passed with EVERY Republican voting yes. It is now on its way to the Senate. ❌ pic.twitter.com/2Dn0zdpRGj
State Rep. Lorena Austin cited “her lived experience” as a “nonbinary” and “gender nonconforming” to argue against the bill. Austin claimed Christians had no right to determine what constituted gender in the law.
Rep. @LorenaAustin4Az urges Republican lawmakers who continually push anti-trans legislation like HB2062 to try and understand the impact these bills — all bound for vetos — have on a community “that just wants to exist.” Watch: pic.twitter.com/wg3KP6AmKr
School board elections in Arizona are a non-partisan race, by law. In an ideal world, candidates should be focused on the well-being of students, academic achievement, and facilitating as much parental involvement as possible. That’s definitely true in Mesa, where the school board should be comprised of members who want to ensure that students are educated rather than indoctrinated.
But a recent news item by the local NBC affiliate chose to highlight partisan political party affiliation instead of focusing on how each candidate views their role as a potential Mesa school board member.
The story focused on three candidates running for the Mesa School Board as a slate: Courtney Davis, Josh Chilton, and Lacy Chaffee. Courtney Davis, in particular, is a current board member who was appointed by Steve Watson to replace Laura Ellingson in August 2023. The night she was sworn in was the first time she had ever attended a Mesa School Board meeting. The legacy media conveniently left this out. But that’s not all they left out.
In a typical biased move that’s become commonplace for the legacy media, the two opposing candidates—Sharon Benson and Ed Steele—were not offered an opportunity to be interviewed for the story. On top of that, they were given only a few hours to respond before the segment aired.
But here’s the truth about the three slate candidates. Davis, Chilton, and Chaffee have focused their campaign on social issues rather than actual student achievement. All three candidates have endorsements and stated positions that run counter to the values that are expected of elected school board officials. They all support males in female spaces, special transgender rights, Critical Race Theory, and eliminating school choice.
Davis, Chilton, and Chaffee have also been endorsed by Legislative District 9 Democrats, the anti-school choice group “Save Our Schools,” and the teachers’ union, Mesa Education Association.
Digging deeper, the Arizona Education Association endorsed legislative candidate Lorena Austin who promotes drag show fundraisers for her campaign. They have also endorsed Proposition 139, which will allow abortion up to fetal viability and would allow minors to get an abortion without any parental involvement, including notification.
Right now, the Mesa School District faces some significant headwinds with declining enrollment, reduced funding, and competition for students and teachers from charter and private schools. Shouldn’t that be the top priority rather than radical social issues?
Fixing Mesa’s problems requires new board members like Sharon Benson, who brings both a teaching background and small business expertise, and Ed Steele, who brings a wealth of business expertise and problem-solving ability to tackle the problems facing the Mesa district. Both Sharon and Ed have had children enrolled in the Mesa district and have a vested interest in keeping the district at the forefront of educational excellence.
Their goal is to support academic excellence, parental involvement, fiscal responsibility, teachers, safety, transparency, and accountability.
For this election, voters need to decide what they want: a radically aligned slate that is more interested in indoctrinating rather than educating students, or Sharon Benson and Ed Steele, who have the expertise, conservative values, and vision to keep Mesa Public Schools a leader in public education.
Dennis Liles is a Mesa resident and Precinct Committeeman in Legislative District 10.
Some swing-district Arizona Democrats received an eye-raising endorsement for their reelection bids.
Earlier this month, the Arizona Working Families Party issued its endorsements for state legislative races, giving support to Democrats across the state. Two of the candidates the party endorsed, Mariana Sandoval (LD 23) and Lorena Austin (LD 9), are from competitive districts in the state.
According to its website, the Working Families Party boasts of “building our own party on top of the two-party system in the United States – and it’s working. We organize outside the two parties, and then we recruit and train people-powered candidates up and down the ballot and run them to win.”
The website adds, “Sometimes we run candidates through Democratic Party primaries, and other times we run candidates on our own. We take on elections from city council to U.S. Senate — wherever there’s a path to win, and where winning will advance a people’s agenda, elevate visionary candidates, and help build the multiracial movement we need to win the America we deserve.”
State Representative Lorena Austin is running for reelection in Arizona Legislative District 9, which covers the city of Mesa. According to the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, the district is likely one of the most competitive in the state, with a 2.6% vote spread in the Commission’s nine focus elections. Democrats are slightly favored in the district, having won in five of those nine focus elections.
Despite her district being more moderate in its political makeup, Austin has demonstrated a propensity to become one of the most extreme leftist members of the Arizona Legislature on almost every issue.
Mariana Sandoval is running for reelection to the Arizona House of Representatives in Legislative District 23. According to the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, Legislative District 23 has a competitive vote spread of 16.9% between Democrats and Republicans over the past nine state elections. Out of those elections, Democrats have won all nine contests.
The full list of Arizona endorsements from the Arizona Working Families Party are as follows:
Sarah Ligouri
Arizona State House, District 5
Brian Garcia
Arizona State House, District 8
Juan Mendez
Arizona State House, District 8
Junelle Cavero
Arizona State House, District 11
Oscar De Los Santos
Arizona State House, District 11
Stephanie Stahl-Hamilton
Arizona State House, District 21
Mariana Sandoval
Arizona State House, District 23
Cesar Aguilar
Arizona State House, District 26
Quanta Crews
Arizona State House, District 26
Lauren Kuby
Arizona State Senate, District 8
Analise Ortiz
Arizona State Senate, District 24
Jennifer Allen
Pima County Supervisor, District 3
Raquel Terán
U.S. House, State of Arizona, District 3
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
A radical Democrat state representative is attempting to return to her middle-of-the-road legislative district for a new term in office.
State Representative Lorena Austin is running for reelection in Arizona Legislative District 9, which covers the city of Mesa. According to the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, the district is likely one of the most competitive in the state, with a 2.6% vote spread in the Commission’s nine focus elections. Democrats are slightly favored in the district, having won in five of those nine focus elections.
Despite her district being more moderate in its political makeup, Austin has demonstrated a propensity to become one of the most extreme leftist members of the Arizona Legislature on almost every issue.
In a struggling state and national economy, where many families are struggling to get by in life, keep their jobs, and save for their children’s futures, Austin showed no mercy with her votes. This year, she was one of a handful of members to vote against HCR 2002, which stated that the legislature recognizes, encourages, and continues to support Arizona’s beef producing farmers, ranchers, and families. Last year (2023), she voted no on SB 1131, which would have prohibited a county, city, or town from levying a tax on rental property.
Austin is also opposed to individual property rights, as her votes have indicated. In 2023, she was one of 14 members to vote against final passage of a bill prohibiting protestors from targeting people in their own homes by protesting on their residential property (SB 1023).
This latest legislative session (2024), Austin voted no on SB 1129, which would have allowed a property owner or the owners’ agent to request from law enforcement the immediate removal of a person who is unlawfully occupying a residential dwelling. She also opposed SB 1073, which would have established a new form of the existing offense of obstructing a highway or other public thoroughfare and classified this new form of the offense as a class 6 felony (which was introduced in response to protestors blocking traffic).
Austin’s legislative record extends, too, into bouts of radical socialism. In 2023, she co-sponsored HB 2610, which would have created a state-owned bank. Additionally, she co-sponsored HB 2653, which would have established that “restaurants and other food service establishments in this state may only serve water and disposable straws to customers on request.” Earlier this year, Austin voted no on HB 2629, which would have established November 7 of each year as Victims of Communism Day and required the State Board of Education to create a list of recommended resources for mandatory instruction on the topic in certain public school courses.
The Democrat lawmaker has refused to support solutions to help her state end the border crisis affecting almost every community in Arizona – not to mention elsewhere in the nation. In 2023, Austin co-sponsored HB 2604, which would have permitted the Arizona Department of Transportation to issue a driver’s license or nonoperating ID to a person without legal status in the United States. And in this most recent legislative session, she voted no on HB 2621, which would have deemed that the trafficking of fentanyl across Arizona’s border is a public health crisis and directed the Arizona Department of Health Services to do everything within its power to address the crisis. She also opposed SCR 1042, which proclaimed the legislature’s support for the people and government of the state of Texas in its efforts to secure our nation’s southern border.
Austin has an awful record in office on crimes against children. In 2023, she voted against SB 1028, which would have prohibited a person or business from engaging in an adult cabaret performance on public property or in a location where the performance could be viewed by a minor. She also voted no on SB 1583, which would have mandated that a level one sex offender who commits specified sexual offenses is required to register on the internet sex offender website if the offender was sentenced for a dangerous crime against children.
This most recent legislative session (2024), Austin continued her spree of opposing legislation that would have protected more Arizona children from horrific crimes committed against them. She voted no on SB 1236, which would have specified that any offender who was convicted of or adjudicated guilty except insane for sexual crimes against children, whether completed or preparatory, and was 18 years of age or older at the time of the offense, must be included on the internet sex offender website. She also opposed HB 2835, which would have established knowingly observing a nude minor for the purpose of engaging in sexual conduct for a person’s sexual gratification as a form of criminal sexual exploitation of a minor. And Austin voted no on a ballot referral (SCR 1021), which would statutorily require an adult who is convicted of a class 2 felony for any child sex trafficking offense to be sentenced to natural life imprisonment.
As with many of her fellow Democrats running for the state legislature, Austin promotes endorsements from left-leaning organizations for her campaign for the Arizona House of Representatives, including Moms Demand Action, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona, Save Our Schools Arizona, Progressive Turnout Project, HRC in Arizona, AEA Fund for Public Education, NARAL Pro-Choice Arizona, Stonewall Democrats of Arizona, Arizona Education Association, Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Emily’s List, and Human Rights Campaign PAC.
There is one endorsement for Austin that appears to be absent from her website, from the Jane Fonda Climate PAC. Austin’s support from this PAC may be one of the most concerning for voters researching her record and determining which direction they want to see for their district. This PAC asserts that “major solutions are stopped cold: the Green New Deal, Build Back Better, clean energy investments, ending billions in tax subsidies to the fossil fuel industry – all because of politicians backed by Big Oil.”
The Green New Deal pushed by the Jane Fonda Climate PAC is the same championed by New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is one of the most progressive lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The district is currently represented by two Democrats in the state House of Representatives. Austin and her fellow Democrat incumbent, Seth Blattman, ran unopposed in the recent primary election. Austin received 10,353 votes, and Blattman obtained 8,741 votes. They will face off against Republicans Mary Ann Mendoza and Kylie Barber, who also ran unopposed in the primary election. Mendoza garnered 10,429 votes, and Barber received 10,136 votes.
November’s General Election will be the second time that Mendoza has been pitted against Austin and Blattman. In 2022, Austin and Blattman defeated Mendoza and her running mate, Kathy Pearce, to assume their offices for the 2023 Arizona legislative session.
Correction: A previous version of this article listed the incorrect vote totals for the candidates. The totals have now been updated with the latest results from the Arizona Secretary of State website.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
A radical Democrat state representative is attempting to return to her middle-of-the-road legislative district for a new term in office.
State Representative Lorena Austin is running for reelection in Arizona Legislative District 9, which covers the city of Mesa. According to the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, the district is likely one of the most competitive in the state, with a 2.6% vote spread over the past nine statewide elections. (Democrats are slightly favored in the district, having won the district in five of those nine elections.)
Austin is a member of the Appropriations and Commerce Committees in the Arizona House of Representatives.
That event was immediately met with condemnation from Republicans. Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma addressed the event on his “X” account, writing, “Democrat Rep. Lorena Austin deliberately misled House leadership to reserve a conference room to host a drag story hour with Planned Parenthood. Use of House facilities for radical activism to promote dangerously perverse ideology will not be tolerated while I am Speaker. As a result, I’ve ordered that Democrats have lost the privilege of accessing House meeting rooms until trust can be restored.”
Democrat Rep. Lorena Austin deliberately misled House leadership to reserve a conference room to host a drag story hour with Planned Parenthood.
Use of House facilities for radical activism to promote dangerously perverse ideology will not be tolerated while I am Speaker.
Austin responded to the Speaker’s comments, saying, “This is the people’s House and that includes the LGBTQ+ community, whether my colleagues on the other side of the aisle like that or not. It is nothing short of ridiculous that I have been described as dishonest, deceitful and perverse and have been subjected to calls for punishment and expulsion. What is true is that I hosted a drag performer who read stories about LGBTQ+ history and inclusion. There were no minors present, but also no content that would offend a minor.”
The Democrat lawmaker added, “We were completely transparent when we reserved the room, and the content was not, or should not be, controversial. In total approximately 20 people attended (all adults) because the House is currently only conducting business on Wednesdays, and today was a Tuesday. It was educational and completely within the mission of our LGTBQ+ Caucus. I will never apologize for teaching people to be inclusive, to accept others as they are, and to stand up to hate and bigotry.”
Republican Representative Alexander Kolodin also weighed in on the controversy. He said, “The People’s House should be a safe place for the children of Arizona and I am outraged at this violation of trust. In addition to this punishment, also I call on leadership to bar Rep. Austin from accessing any part of the House aside from public areas and the floor.”
The People's House should be a safe place for the children of Arizona and I am outraged at this violation of trust. In addition to this punishment, also I call on leadership to bar Rep. Austin from accessing any part of the House aside from public areas and the floor. https://t.co/I4EW6QycWW
— Rep. Alexander Kolodin (@realAlexKolodin) April 30, 2024
As with many of her fellow Democrats running for the state legislature, Austin promotes endorsements from left-leaning organizations for her campaign for the Arizona House of Representatives, including Moms Demand Action, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona, Save Our Schools Arizona, Progressive Turnout Project, HRC in Arizona, AEA Fund for Public Education, NARAL Pro-Choice Arizona, Stonewall Democrats of Arizona, Arizona Education Association, Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Emily’s List, and Human Rights Campaign PAC.
The Democrat lawmaker has a lengthy record of voting against bills meant to prevent crime waves from engulfing the Grand Canyon State – as has been experienced in jurisdictions like California. In 2023, Austin voted against HB 2478, which would have expanded the definition of aggravated assault to include a person knowingly assaulting an employee of a law enforcement agency while engaged in the execution of official duties. She voted against HB 2212, which would have established liability for aggravated criminal damage if a person interferes or prevents the performance of a normal function of utility infrastructure or property or the intended course or path of any utility service (2023). And she voted against SB 1262, which would have required a court to promptly issue a warrant for the rearrest of a person that has been charged with a felony offense that was committed during the person’s probation term.
The district is currently represented by two Democrats in the state House of Representatives. Austin and her fellow Democrat incumbent, Seth Blattman, ran unopposed in the recent primary election. Austin received 8,624 votes, and Blattman obtained 7,316 votes. They will face off against Republicans Mary Ann Mendoza and Kylie Barber, who also ran unopposed in the primary election. Mendoza garnered 8,571 votes, and Barber received 8,335 votes.
November’s General Election will be the second time that Mendoza has been pitted against Austin and Blattman. In 2022, Austin and Blattman defeated Mendoza and her running mate, Kathy Pearce, to assume their offices for the 2023 Arizona legislative session.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
