It is expected to be signed in to a law
On Wednesday, the Mississippi House passed a bill that will prohibit transgender athletes from competing in women’s only sports across the state. According to a Fox News report it is expected that republican Governor Tate Reeves will sign the bill.
The details
The bill is titled the Mississippi Fairness Act. The vote was 81-28 on Wednesday. Six of the representatives did not vote, and seven of the representatives voted , “present. “
The Senate passed the bill 34-9 in February.
Stated by ABC News, the bill would demand “any public school and university that is a member of the Mississippi High School Activities Association , and NCAA, among other associations to designate their athletic teams as male, female or co-ed , and restrict athletes assigned male at birth from joining female teams. “
The first state to pass a similar law banning transgender women from competing in women’s sports was Idaho, in 2020. The new law was suspended by a federal district court, and has yet to be enacted.
What’s being said?
Mississippi Republican State Senator Angela Hill, who sponsored the bill, said, “If we do not move to protect female sports from biological males who have an unfair physiological advantage, we will eventually no longer have female sports. “
She added, “This issue is imminent in Mississippi. We have to make a statement that women’s matter, female sports matter. “
Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David said the state was clearly on the “wrong side of history. “
“There is simply no justification for banning transgender girls and women from participating in athletics other than discrimination, ” David said in a statement on the Mississippi House passing the bill. “Like all girls, transgender girls just want to play and be part of a team with their friends. History will not look kindly on this moment in Mississippi. “
David added, “These dangerous bills are designed to make the lives of transgender kids more difficult while they try to navigate their adolescence. “
Where does Biden stand?
President Joe Biden distributed executive order protecting against gender identity, and sexual orientation discrimination.
“Every person should be treated with respect and dignity and should be able to live without fear, no matter who they are or whom they love, ” Biden said at the time. “Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or the school sports. “
As of now, Mississippi is one of more than twenty states where the lawmakers submitted bans on transgender athletes from playing on sports teams. There are only seventeen, states that allow transgender high school students to participate without any regulations.