Louisiana's Democratic governor allows transgender sports ban to become law



Gender dysphoric men will not be allowed to compete on girls' and women's sports teams in Louisiana after the Fairness in Women's Sports Act became law on Monday.

Though Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards opposed the transgender sports ban, he permitted it to become law without his signature because the GOP-controlled legislature had made clear it would override his veto.

"This legislation unfairly targets vulnerable children who are already struggling with gaining acceptance in every aspect of their lives," Edwards wrote in a letter explaining his decision. "Nevertheless, the legislature has made it clear over the last two regular legislative sessions that it believes the policy of the state should be to treat these children differently than who they really are."

"It was obvious to me after two years it was going to become law whether or not I signed or vetoed the bill," the governor said.

The governor's action makes Louisiana the 18th state to ban men who identify as women from playing in girls and women's sports leagues. Supporters of these bans say men have biological advantages over women that, regardless of how they identify or which hormone supplements they take, make competition between the two sexes unfair. Critics of these transgender sports bans say they are discriminatory, bigoted, hateful, and harmful to transgender athletes.

Republican state Sen. Beth Mizell, who sponsored the Fairness in Women's Sports Act, told USA Today her bill will protect female athletes from unfair competition.

"Women have worked too hard for too long to get to the competitive level we have attained to now face an unfair playing field," Mizell said.

Edwards argued in his letter that the bill was unnecessary because the Louisiana High School Athletics Association has policies for regulating how transgender athletes compete. He asserted that unfair competition is a problem that "doesn't exist in our state" and that the bill will "lead many of our transgender youth to believe there is something wrong with them."

A previous version of Mizell's sports bill passed last year but failed to overcome a veto by Edwards. Democratic opponents of the bill said it bullies transgender kids.

"These children, our children, will only see this as an attack," state House Democratic Chairman Sam Jenkins said during debate on the bill. "These kids will see us as bullies. Some people are just flat out uncomfortable with the existence of transgender children in our state."

Sen. Cruz pressures NCAA president on threats to states that pass fairness in women's sports laws



NCAA President Mark Emmert on Wednesday faced questions from Sen. Ted Cruz over his organization's policy on transgender athletes and fairness in women's sports.

Emmert appeared before the Senate Commerce Committee to testify as an expert witness during a hearing on college athlete compensation. But when it was Cruz's turn to ask questions, the senator from Texas pressured the NCAA president on transgender issues and his organization's threat to punish states that pass laws that prohibit male athletes who identify as transgender from competing in women's sports.

"I am concerned about just how political the NCAA has gotten on the question of transgender athletes," Cruz said.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association has threatened to pull championship collegiate games from states that enact laws barring transgender athletes from playing on teams associated with their self-declared gender identity.

In a statement issued in April, the organization announced it "firmly and unequivocally supports the opportunity for transgender student-athletes to compete in college sports" and that "when determining where championships are held, NCAA policy directs that only locations where hosts can commit to providing an environment that is safe, healthy and free of discrimination should be selected."

"That was a not remotely subtle threat for the NCAA to target and boycott any states where legislatures are acting to protect girls sports and women's sports," charged Cruz.

"Now, it used to not be controversial to observe that there are biological differences between boys and girls, and when it comes to athletics, there are, can be significant physical advantages for those who are born biologically male in terms of strength and size. And that's why we have girls sports and boys sports and men's sports and women's sports in organized athletics. And the science continues to demonstrate that," Cruz continued.

"Why does the NCAA think it is fair to girls or to women competing in sports to expect them to compete against individuals who were born biologically male? And is the NCAA concerned about some of the results we're seeing, for example, Connecticut high school track where biological males are setting record after record after record in girls track and winning the championships," he asked.

Sen. Ted Cruz to NCAA President Mark Emmert: “It used to not be controversial to observe that there are biological… https://t.co/dPJGhwurSw

— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) 1623256836.0

"Is that fair to the girls and to the women who had been competing in the sports?"

"Senator, first of all, as you point out, this is a very challenging issues and the member schools of the association have worked very hard to try and not make it a political issue," Emmert replied, noting that the NCAA has attempted to align "as closely as possible" with what the USA and International Olympics policy is.

He explained that to strike a "balance" between what is "inclusive" and what is "fair," "student athletes in NCAA competition who are transgendered women, for example, are allowed to compete but only after they've been under a doctor's care for no less than a year and have had testosterone suppression treatments that have lowered their testosterone levels to be functional equivalent of a woman."

Emmert added that in the example Cruz cited, the transgender athletes in question "would not have been allowed to compete in NCAA championships."

"We've been constantly trying to stay abreast of the science and make sure that we're striking a balance where we don't put women athletes at a disadvantage while still trying to provide an inclusive environment," Emmert said.

Saul Loeb/Getty Images

‘Woke’ Pressure ‘Strengthened’ DeSantis Decision To Ban Biological Males From Women’s Sports, Spox Says

'He doesn't want to be bullied'

‘You Can’t Be Cowed’: Gov. DeSantis Says He Was Determined To Ban Biological Men In Women’s Sports

"I am much more willing to stand with the girls and to hell with these events'

Florida Gov. DeSantis says he will sign 'Fairness in Women's Sports' bill banning trans athletes from competing against females



Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Thursday pledged to sign his state's version of a bill to protect fairness in women's sports by prohibiting transgender athletes who were born males from competing against females.

In a surprise move this week, Florida Republicans in the state House revived the "Fairness in Women's Sports Act" after it died in Senate committee by attaching it as an amendment to SB 1028, a charter school bill. The legislation would ban males from competing on women's sports teams at the public secondary and collegiate level.

The House passed the bill Wednesday in a vote of 79-37, mostly along party lines. The state Senate passed the bill 23-16 later that evening. If DeSantis signs the bill into law, Florida would be the seventh state to adopt a form of the "Fairness in Women's Sports" bill though 30 states are considering similar legislation.

At a Fox News town hall Thursday evening with other Republican governors, Gov. DeSantis said he was eager to sign the bill.

"Oh yeah, we're going to protect our girls. I have a 4-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old daughter and they're both very athletic. And we want to have opportunities for our girls," DeSantis told host Laura Ingraham. "They deserve an even playing field and that's what we're doing with what Mississippi did, with what Florida did, and I know with what other states are going to do."

"So I look forward to being able to sign that into law," he said.

DeSantis vows to sign bill barring transgender females from girls' sports. https://t.co/poRJBkleuH

— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) 1619789945.0

Critics including state Democrats and LGBTQ activists have assailed the bill as "cruel" and discriminatory against transgender youth.

"It's horrific," Gina Duncan, the director of transgender equality at Equality Florida, said. "This bill shows not only their lack of humanity but their astounding ignorance about the transgender community, not understanding that trans girls are girls and transgender women are women.

"Despite impassioned pleas by legislators who have gay and transgender kids and grandkids imploring supporters of this bill to understand the harm that it will do, Republicans followed their marching orders to implement this orchestrated culture war and move this bill forward."

"If they want to play, let them play, there's nothing to stop them," said state Sen. Victor Torres (D), who's grandchild is transgender and identifies as female. "We thought it was dead, but obviously some don't care."

Republican supporters of the legislation countered that it's unfair that athletes who were born with male DNA, male skeletal structures, and have male muscle development are allowed to compete with girls.

"I thought it was common knowledge that men are stronger than women," Sen. Kelli Stargel (R) said. "We're just trying to protect them."

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R), who participated in the town hall with DeSantis and was the first Republican governor to sign a fairness in women's sports bill into law this year, said Thursday that biological males should not be able to compete with girls for scholarships and other opportunities.

"This is an issue I'm passionate about and the reason I'm passionate about it is because I have a 16-year-old daughter, a 14-year-old daughter, and a 9-year-old daughter and they play basketball and they play soccer and they play every sport they can possible play," Reeves said. "And the reality is biological males should not be allowed to compete with them for athletic scholarships. They should not be allowed to be able to compete with them for opportunities."

Adding to the controversy over these bills is the National Collegiate Athletic Association's stated opposition to legislation it claims discriminates against transgender athletes. The NCAA has threatened to pull championship games from states that pass laws barring biological males from playing on girls sports teams, leading some Republican lawmakers and governors to hesitate over enacting laws that apply to collegiate sports.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) outraged social conservatives by vetoing her state's version of the "Fairness in Women's Sports" bill, saying the portion of the bill that applies to colleges and universities was "unrealistic in the context of collegiate athletics."

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) likewise vetoed a similar bill, claiming that there was no evidence that girls sports were in "immediate danger" of becoming unfair and deferring to the state athletic association to determine the rules governing high school and collegiate sports.

But social conservative activists are making clear that Republicans who want their support must stand up to protect women's sports.

"Women's sports has been a breakthrough issue showing how to win on cultural issues," American Principles Project President Terry Schilling said.

"This is now the status quo for the Republican Party," he added. "You must support protecting women's sports to be a contender in the party."