South Dakota gov. Kristi Noem (R). (Getty Images)
(CNS News) – South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (R) said she was “excited” to sign into law a bill that would prohibit transgender females (biological males) from participating in real women’s sports in the state’s public schools, its school districts, and in its colleges.
The legislation (HB1217) passed the South Dakota Senate (20-15) on Monday and is now on Gov. Noem’s desk. Noem tweeted on Monday, “In South Dakota we’re celebrating #InternationalWomensDay by defending women’s sports! I’m excited to sign this bill very soon.”
Transgender “female” athletes Andraya Yearwood, left, and Terry Miller, who are biological males. (Screenshot)
The bill states that an athletic team or sport in the public schools must be designated a “male team” or a “female team,” and that “a team or sport designated as being female is available only to participants who are female, based on their biological sex.”
Sports organizations must provide a written statement of each players age, and his or her “biological sex, as ascertained at or before birth in accordance with the student’s genetics and reproductive biology,” reads the legislation.
Also, “If a student is deprived of an athletic opportunity or if a student suffers direct or indirect harm, as a result of this Act being violated, that student has a private cause of action for injunctive relief, damages, and any other relief available under law, against the violating entity,” reads the bill.
Transgender athletes. (Screenshot).
The ACLU, a left-wing legal group, opposes the bill and said in a press release that, “lawmakers need to focus on real issues, not discriminatory bills.”
“House Bill 1217 aims to ‘promote fairness in women’s sports’ yet would actually undermine sports for all people, harm athletes who are transgender, and cost South Dakota millions of dollars all in the name of ‘problem solving’ where a problem doesn’t actually exist,” said the ACLU.
According to South Dakota media, transgender activists and left-wing legal groups are threatening to sue, if the governor signs the bill into law. “More than 500 college athletes are asking the NCAA Board of Governors to refuse to schedule championships in states that have banned transgender participation in sports,” reported The Buffalo News. “Opponents have warned the law could drag the state into costly litigation and would saddle schools with having to gather proof of every athlete’s sex at birth.”
Transgender people sometimes undergo sex-change surgery. In this photo, a transgender “male,” in reality a biological female, has had her breasts removed to try to appear male. (Screenshot)
Alabama and Mississippi passed bills this week that will also ban transgender “females” (biological males) from participating in sports.
According to the Alabama Political Reporter, “Republicans in the Alabama Senate on Tuesday passed a bill that would essentially prohibit any doctor from treating or, in some cases, even talking to minors about transgender therapies.”
Mississippi passed their bill on Wednesday, called the “Mississippi Fairness Act,” which only allows participation in women’s sports based on biological sex.
(Getty Images)
These bills follow Biden’s campaign pledge, and executive order from Jan. 20, which says transgender “female” athletes cannot be denied participation in female sports and must be allowed to use real women’s bathrooms, locker rooms, and showers.
“On his first day in office, Biden will reinstate the Obama-Biden guidance revoked by the Trump-Pence Administration, which will restore transgender students’ access to sports, bathrooms, and locker rooms in accordance with their gender identity,” it says.
