JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a controversial bill into law Tuesday limiting transgender students’ participation in school sports.
The bill, deemed the “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act,” prohibits transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports. It goes into effect July 1.
“Girls are going to play girl sports and boys are going to play boy sports,” DeSantis said during a news conference at Trinity Christian Academy Tuesday.
The ban, which was tacked on to a charter school bill in the final hours of the legislative session, requires students to play sports according to the gender on their birth certificate.
READ: Florida House set to take up ban on transgender athletes in girls’ athletics
The signing came on the first day of Pride Month. When asked during the news conference what message the timing sends to Florida’s LGBTQ+ community, DeSantis said there was no message other than protecting the integrity of women’s athletics.
Lawmakers admit that has not been an issue in Florida, but say isolated examples from other states are concerning.
The Fairness in Women’s Sports Act will empower Florida women & girls to be able to compete on a level playing field. This will help ensure that opportunities for things like college scholarships will be protected for female athletes for years to come.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) June 1, 2021
📺:https://t.co/wQo4Hcl0vG
These types of bans have been denounced by the NCAA and families of transgender students. The NCAA has indicated it will pull events from states with such bans, although no events have been pulled from Florida as of yet.
Moments after the bill was signed, Rep. Anna Eskamani sent out a statement calling the legislation “bigoted” and “transphobic.”
READ: Jenner says transgender girls in women’s sports is ‘unfair’
“Transgender youth deserve our love and support, not cruel attacks because of who they are,” Eskamani said in the statement. “The consequences for states that have passed anti-LGBTQ+ laws are clear — bigoted policies lead to major economic loss. Today Governor Ron DeSantis allowed ignorance to prevail and took our state backwards in the fight for LGBTQ+ equality. We won’t forget it.”
Central Florida State Sen. Vic Torres’ granddaughter is transgender. He said he opposes the law.
READ: Amazon Sidewalk to share your network with strangers
“She just wants to have the opportunity to do things as other children as other girls do,” Torres said.
Equal rights groups have indicated that they will file a lawsuit challenging the law, saying it violates the 14th Amendment and Title IX.
Today — on the first day of LGBTQ+ #Pride Month— @GovRonDeSantis signed SB1028 into law. This bill attacks trans-youth and bans them from playing in team sports within an academic environment. Below is our statement in response. 👇🏽 pic.twitter.com/I2HYcTZMDk
— Rep. Anna V. Eskamani 🔨 (@AnnaForFlorida) June 1, 2021
Read reaction from other state lawmakers below:
Appalling. First day of LGBTQ Pride Month and @GovRonDeSantis signs SB 1028 which bans trans kids from school sports. FHSAA has allowed trans kids to participate in FL since 2013 with ZERO problems. This fuels transphobia and puts vulnerable kids at risk for no good reason.
— Rep. Carlos G Smith (@CarlosGSmith) June 1, 2021
By signing a heartless ban on transgender kids in sports, @GovRonDeSantis is marginalizing an entire community.
— Commissioner Nikki Fried (@NikkiFriedFL) June 1, 2021
Signing it on the first day of #Pride2021 is especially cruel.
Florida should stand for inclusivity, equality, and liberty — not peddling hate for political points.
