Mississippi has officially banned transgender student-athletes from competing in women’s sports.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signed the anti-trans law on Thursday, making it the first of its kind this year in the state.
“This important piece of legislation will ensure that young girls in Mississippi have a fair, level playing field in public schools,” Reeves said during the signing event. Under the new law, transgender athletes will be banned from competing on women’s high school and college sports teams, with female sports not being “open to students of the male sex.” Last week, the bill passed the Mississippi House by a vote of 81-28, which followed the state’s Senate approval of the bill last month by a vote of 34-9.
Several states, such as South Dakota, are moving to pass similar bills prohibiting transgender women and girls from competing on women’s sports teams. Supporters of the bills believe that transwomen have an unfair advantage over cisgender women athletically. However, LGBTQ activists argue that the bills are discriminatory and rooted in hate.
Alphonso David, Human Rights Campaign’s president, says that Reeves’s “eagerness to become the face of the latest anti-transgender push is appalling.”
Chase Strangio, the American Civil Liberties Union deputy director for trans justice, also criticized the measures, saying that they’re less about sports and more about removing trans people from everyday public life.
South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem said that she is “excited to sign” the bill, claiming that she is concerned about fairness in girls’ sports.
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