Nevada
Nevada Lt. Gov. Anthony fined $3K in trans-athlete ethics case
Anthony used staff time, government equipment to promote ‘Protect Women’s Sports’ task force
Trans athletes in college continues to be a hotly debated issue
The US Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case in its next term about transgender college athletes. That given the issue new political life.
- Ethics commission voted 3-2 against Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony.
- Anthony says he should be allowed to advocate for issues he feels passionately about.
- Ethics commission director says government resources can’t be used to promote personal projects.
A Nevada ethics panel fined Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony $3,000 over use of state resources to promote a task force to keep trans athletes out of women’s sports.
Anthony, a Republican, is running for reelection.
The March 18 vote against Anthony was 3 to 2 by the Nevada Commission on Ethics.
In addition to the fine, he’s required to obtain ethics training within 60 days and develop a social media policy for his office.
Anthony created the “Task Force to Protect Women’s Sports” in late 2024 after the Nevada women’s volleyball team made national news by refusing to play San Jose State University for having a transgender player on its team.
“I decided I was very passionate about protecting female athletes,” he testified before the Nevada Legislature in February 2025. “I wanted to support the University of Nevada, Reno volleyball team who came out very courageously on their stand. That is why I created this task force.”
Anthony’s official government X account shared posts about task force events, and staff from the state’s Office of Small Business Advocacy — under Anthony’s authority — sent out emails about the task force. Anthony’s chief of staff testified the task force was not a function of the office.
The ethics commission’s vote served to “admonish the lieutenant governor for his actions in violation of the ethics law,” its motion said.
The Reno Gazette Journal contacted Anthony and his attorney, the ethics commission and Lindsey Harmon, a reproductive rights advocate who made the initial ethics complaint, for comment. None immediately responded.
Stavros Anthony’s defense of his actions
Anthony’s attorneys argued in legal filings that he did not violate any state laws “because there are no statutes, rules, regulations, policies or other authority prohibiting Mr. Anthony from advocating on political issues, supporting political causes, or from forming the Task Force.”
They added he had no financial interest in the task force, and that elected officials should be allowed to advocate for political positions.
“Under such a standard as urged by the Director (Ross Armstrong of the ethics commission), a public officer, for example, speaking at an official function or writing in official correspondence, stating that he or she is passionate about such issues as veterans’ rights or health care could be found to have violated ethics laws,” his attorneys wrote in a filing.
Ethics director’s argument against Anthony
Armstrong responded in a filing that the case was not about being able to advocate for causes one believes in.
“It’s about the undisputed use of specifically allocated taxpayer funds through staff, time, property and equipment on his significant personal interest rather than the government interests of the Office of the Lieutenant Governor and the Office of Small Business Advocacy,” Armstrong wrote. “Doing so violates the Ethics Law.”
He noted that Anthony’s government staff used state email systems to set up and coordinate efforts of the task force, promoted it on their government X feeds, and created talking points, press releases and other materials supporting it.
Armstrong added Anthony “used influence over subordinates to benefit the Task Force.”
Mark Robison is the state politics reporter for the Reno Gazette Journal, with occasional forays into other topics. Email comments to mrobison@rgj.com or comment on Mark’s Greater Reno Facebook page.