Transgender rights also have been a divisive issue within the state Republican Party. Then-Gov. Bruce Rauner riled social conservatives in 2017 by signing a law making it easier for people to change the sex on their birth certificates to match their gender identity. Former state Rep. Jeanne Ives of Wheaton attacked Rauner for signing the bill, among other social issues, and nearly upset him in the 2018 GOP primary.