In 2023, Gov. Joe Lombardo made headlines by signing two pro-LGBTQ+ bills into law — surprising many in Nevada and across the country. At a time when far-right politicians were escalating attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, Lombardo appeared to take a different path, pledging to avoid culture wars and signaling a willingness to protect some of our state’s most vulnerable communities.

But just two years later, that version of Lombardo is gone.

During the 83rd legislative session, he vetoed more bills than any governor in Nevada history — including multiple measures that would have safeguarded LGBTQ+ Nevadans, protected access to health care and defended basic civil liberties. Despite early promises, Lombardo has increasingly aligned himself with the larger national trend of anti-LGBTQ+ backpedaling, choosing political convenience over courage and conviction.

What changed? Perhaps the looming pressure of re-election. Perhaps the rising volume of extremist rhetoric nationwide. 

Whatever the reason, the result is the same: a retreat from leadership and a failure to protect the very people he once claimed to support.

This year, he vetoed an updated version of the gender-affirming care “shield law,” which would have protected Nevada-based providers and out-of-state patients from prosecution under other states’ anti-trans laws. The bill had been revised to address his concerns in his 2023 veto message on a similar bill — yet he moved the goalposts with brand-new objections, signaling a troubling pattern of disengagement on LGBTQ+ health protections.

He also rejected legislation clarifying nondiscrimination protections on the state’s health exchange (Nevada Health Link) for sexual orientation. Lombardo claimed such protections were already implied elsewhere in statute or in the Nevada Constitution, but they are not explicitly spelled out — leaving a dangerous gap in coverage.

On carceral policy, Lombardo’s reversal was also striking. While he approved protections for transgender people in state prisons in 2023, he vetoed a bill this year that would have extended similar safeguards to transgender individuals in local jails. His lengthy and vague veto message left many questioning whether political optics — not policy — drove the decision.

Even outside LGBTQ+ legislation, Lombardo’s vetoes touched the heart of core civil liberties. AB416, a bill to protect library access and free speech, was vetoed despite its efforts to prevent censorship and shield librarians from threats. The bill would have required legal procedures for book challenges and made it a felony to assault or intimidate library staff — protections that are sorely needed, especially as most banned books in the U.S. feature LGBTQ+ people and communities of color.

There were a few bright spots though — notably, they required either no action or minimal effort from the governor’s office.

The Legislature passed SCR2, designating the LGBTQ+ cultural corridor in Clark County — known colloquially as the “Fruit Loop” — as a historic landmark. This recognition did not require Lombardo’s signature.

He also signed SB117, which helps LGBTQ+ veterans discharged under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy access information and support to upgrade their discharge status. And another bill allows reproductive and gender-affirming care providers and their families to shield personal information in public records — an important step amid rising threats.

But these isolated wins are overshadowed by the governor’s broader pattern of obstruction. What once looked like a state executive willing to buck party orthodoxy now looks like a man preparing for re-election or higher office by appeasing a louder, more extreme political base.

In 2023, Lombardo’s chief of staff framed his vetoes as principled and nonpolitical. By 2025, his vetoes of LGBTQ+ and civil-liberties bills suggest a shift driven more by politics than policy.

Nevada’s LGBTQ+ community deserves more than veto messages filled with technicalities and political hedging. We deserve a governor who doesn’t retreat under pressure. We deserve one who leads.

Silver State Equality will continue showing up and pushing forward. But we need our governor to meet the moment — not just in election off-years, but every single session.

To see how other LGBTQ+ bills fared during the session, visit silverstateequality.org/legislation/ 

Andre C. Wade is state director for Silver State Equality, Nevada’s statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization.

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