Florida Guv signs bill banning transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports

In a recent development, Governor of Florida of the United States Ron DeSantis, on Tuesday, signed a controversial bill that bans transgender athletes from competing in high school girls' and college women's sports.

DeSantis signed the "Fairness in Women's Sports Act" at Trinity Christian Academy in the city of Jacksonville, and gave nod to a bill that prohibits people whose biological sex is categorised as 'male' on their birth certificates from competing in women's sports events from middle school through college. The ban is exclusive of elementary school athletes.

“In Florida, girls are going to play girls’ sports, and boys are going to play boys’ sports,” DeSantis said. 

Taking to Twitter, Governor DeSantis established how the Act would encourage girls in Florida to compete on a level playing field.

While detractors of the ban have deemed the Bill discriminatory and unnecessary, LGBTQ civil rights group the Human Rights Campaign announced its intention to sue the state, minutes after Governor DeSantis assented to the controversial Bill. They fear that statutory nod to a Bill of this nature can possibly alienate transgender persons further. 

While addressing the gathering, Governor DeSantis said, "As a father of two daughters, I want my girls, and every girl in Florida, to compete on an even playing field for the opportunities available to young women in sports. Women have fought for decades to have equal opportunities in athletics, and we have to prevent those opportunities from being eroded as is happening in other states. It’s common sense.”

According to a press release by Governor Ron DeSantis's office, the majority of Americans support this action. Multiple polls have concluded that more than 60 per cent of Americans validate that biological males should not be participating in women’s sports.

Debarring transgender women and girls from participating in girls' sports events or teams based on non-alignment with their sex assigned at birth moved LGBTQ advocates decrying that such bills emit a damaging message to vulnerable transgender youth.

So far, over 30 States in the US have introduced or nodded to restrictions on transgender athletes.

Governor Ron DeSantis, while addressing Trinity Christian Academy ascertained, "It's not a message to anything other than saying we're going to protect fairness and women's sports."

The Bill was signed on June 1 that particularly marks the first day of Pride Month. The Bill goes into effect from July 1.