Lawmakers In Florida, Louisiana OK Transgender Sports Bans
- By
- Carlos Santoscoy
- | May 29, 2021
Lawmakers in Florida and Louisiana have approved bills that prohibit transgender athletes from competing on girls' and women's sports teams.
The states are among the more than 30 that have considered or passed such restrictions this legislative session.
Senate Bill 156 cleared the Louisiana Republican-led House on Thursday with some support from Democrats. It had previously passed the GOP-led Senate, also with some Democratic votes.
Governor John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, has previously said that he does not support the bill and will veto it.
The bill, however, cleared both chambers with veto-proof margins.
Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest LGBT rights advocate, called passage of SB 156 “shameful.”
“The advancement of this discriminatory bill is shameful and sends a harmful message to LGBTQ youth,” David said in a statement. “Tragically, this bill is just the latest in a wave of attacks on trans and non-binary people in Louisiana and across the nation. Legislators and supporters who say it is about a level playing field cannot even provide an example of one incident where this issue has even occurred. I hope Gov. John Bel Edwards keeps his word and vetoes this terrible legislation.”
Republicans in Florida watered down a similar bill and sent it to Governor Ron DeSantis' desk. The Republican governor is expected to sign the legislation.
Controversial measures stripped from the bill include a requirement that transgender student athletes undergo genetic testing and submit to a genitalia examination.
Under Senate Bill 1028, a transgender high school or college athlete can only participate in team sports if they provide proof of their biological sex. It also allows students to sue a school if they allow a transgender girl or woman on a sports team.
Florida State Representative Carlos Guillermo, a Democrat, criticized the bill, calling the effort mean spirited.
“The message that the bill sends is an ugly message of exclusion, telling trans kids that who they are is not OK and that they need to change who they are,” he is quoted as saying by the AP.
According to HRC, more than 200 anti-LGBT bills have been introduced in state legislatures this session, 66 of which target transgender athletes.
Seven states have similar bans, including West Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, South Dakota, and Idaho. A federal judge last year blocked implementation of Idaho's law.