By Valerie Richardson - The Washington Times - Updated: 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 1, 2021
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed legislation barring transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports, joining seven other states in what he described as an effort to protect female sports.
Mr. DeSantis, a Republican, gave the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act his signature flanked by teenage athletes at Trinity Christian Academy in Jacksonville.
“I can tell you that in Florida, girls are going to play girls’ sports, and boys are going to play boys’ sports,” Mr. DeSantis said at the event.
Mr. DeSantis becomes the eighth governor in the last year to sign such legislation on scholastic sports despite opposition from the American Civil Liberties Union and LGBTQ groups, which have decried the laws as discriminatory.
The ACLU already has sued Idaho, which became the first state to pass such a law last year, and West Virginia, where Republican Gov. Jim Justice signed into law a bill scheduled to go into effect July 8 unless blocked by a court.
American Principles Project President Terry Schilling, who attended the bill-signing, said Mr. DeSantis “has solidified his reputation as a fearless conservative who will face down attacks from the woke elite in order to do what’s right for his constituents.”
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