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Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who is
closely aligned with former President Donald Trump, enacted the
law on the first day of Pride Month, which celebrates the
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ)
community.
DeSantis signed the bill at an event at a Christian school in
Jacksonville where he was flanked by several teenage women
athletes. He said the law, which states participation rules for
public high schools and universities, was needed to ensure
fairness for women participating in sports across the state.
"I can tell you this: in Florida, girls are going to play girls’
sports and boys are going to play boys’ sports," the governor
said. "We are going to go based off biology, not based off
ideology when we are doing sports."
Supporters of the sports bills say transgender female athletes
have an unfair advantage, having been designated male at birth
but having since transitioned. Florida's law defines an
athlete's sex as that stated on official documents at birth.
The law, rushed through the state legislature as an attachment
to a charter school bill, passed over the objection of Democrats
and civil rights advocates who call bans on transgender girls
and women in female sports unnecessary and discriminatory and
accuse Republicans of portraying them as a provocation to
energize the right wing of their party.
On Tuesday, U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, issued a
proclamation to mark the start of Pride Month, urging Congress
to LGBTQ people from discrimination by passing the Equality Act
and pointing to a lack of protection of their rights in many
states.
Trump, his Republican predecessor, did not officially recognize
Pride Month during his four years in office.
The Human Rights Campaign, an advocacy group, said it would
challenge the law in court as having been based on a "false,
discriminatory premise" that threatened the wellbeing of
transgender children.
"Transgender kids are kids; transgender girls are girls. Like
all children, they deserve the opportunity to play sports with
their friends and be a part of a team," Human Rights Campaign
President Alphonso David said in a statement.
Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Montana, Tennessee and West
Virginia have passed similar legislation and South Dakota's
governor has signed an executive order supporting a sports ban.
All have Republican governors.
The Republican governor of North Dakota and the Democratic
governor of Kansas have vetoed similar bills that passed their
statehouses.
Idaho passed the first such ban last year but a federal court
has blocked the law.
Arkansas passed one banning certain types of gender-affirming
healthcare treatment to transgender youth, after overriding the
Republican governor's veto.
Around 100 bills have been introduced in more than 20 states
this year that would limit transgender rights. Transgender
advocates have called on businesses to boycott states that pass
such laws.
While corporate America has yet to respond as it has on the
issue of voting rights restrictions, the National Collegiate
Athletic Association (NCAA), which governs college sports,
responded to Florida's bill in April by saying it would only
hold events in states that are "free of discrimination."
DeSantis said he would not be swayed by the stances taken by the
NCAA or other organizations.
"We will stand up to groups like the NCAA who think they should
be able to dictate the policies in different states. Not here.
Not ever," DeSantis said.
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta in Carlsbad, California and Nathan
Layne in Wilton, Connecticut; Editing by Howard Goller)
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