(CNSNews.com) — Lawmakers in Wyoming passed a bill to prohibit transexual “women” (biological males) from competing in female sports in the state’s public schools, making Wyoming the 19th state to enact such legislation.
Governor Mark Gordon, a Republican, allowed the bill to become law without his signature on March 17. In a decision letter that day to the Secretary of the Senate, Gov. Gordon made clear that he did not like the legislation, calling it “overly draconian” and “discriminatory.”
“[T]here are two side to this issue,” added Gordon, and “an outright ban” on transgender females in sports “sends a harmful message that these individuals and their families do not deserve the samee opportunities as others.”
The new law says that in public schools — and in private schools that compete against public schools — the sports teams (7th -12th grade) must be designated for the male sex, the female sex, or coed/mixed.
Sex is defined as the “biological, physical condition of being male or female, determined by an individual’s genetics and anatomy at birth.”
It further states, “A student of the male sex shall not compete, and a public school shall not allow a student of the male sex to compete, in an athletic activity or team designated for students of the female sex.”
The law goes into effect on July 1, 2023. It likely will face a legal challenge.
The LGBT activist group Human Rights Campaign tweeted, “Gov. Gordon has allowed an anti-trans sports ban to become law in Wyoming. It’s abysmal that our elected officials continue to attack and harm transgender kids for political gain.”
NBC Politics tweeted, “The Wyoming law, which takes effect July 1, is among dozens of Republican proposals pushing back against transgender rights in statehouses across the U.S.”
The ACLU of Wyoming complained, “Nobody wins when politicians meddle in people’s lives like this. Nobody wins when we codify discrimination. We must keep fighting.”
Commenting on trasngender females participating in real women’s sports, Jared Eckert at the Heritage Foundation wrote, “[T]he denial of sexual reality robs women of the very opportunities protected by the federal law known as Title IX. Under Title IX, women’s athletics received equal resources for facilities, training, recruitment, and scholarships. As a result, far more women participated in sports.”
“Title IX also is credited with decreasing dropout rates for women and increasing the number of women in higher education,” he said. “Allowing trans-identifying biological males to compete in women’s sports, or for women’s scholarships, reverses this progress.”
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) has said, “When transgender athletes compete against women, women’s sports are no longer women’s sports; they become unisex athletic events.”
Also, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) has said, “Allowing males to compete in women’s sports denies female student athletes a level playing field to compete and achieve.”
This content was originally published here.
