Ron DeSantis is no stranger to controversy, and his latest act as governor of Florida is no different.
On the first day of Pride Month, DeSantis signed a bill that now bans transgender athletes from participating in male sports. Named the ‘The Fairness in Women’s Sports Act’, the law will “empower Florida women & girls to be able to compete on a level playing field according to. This will help ensure that opportunities for things like college scholarships will be protected for female athletes for years to come.”
House Bill 1475 makes participation in athletics contingent on determining students’ “biological sex,” a disputed term that refers to the sex assigned at birth.
“In Florida, girls are going to play girls sports and boys are going to play boys sports,” Gov. DeSantis said as he signed the bill into law. “We’re going to make sure that that’s the reality.”
“We’re not just setting a standard, we’re also providing ways where that fairness and the equality can be enforced on behalf of our girls and our women athletes,” DeSantis said.
The Human Rights Campaign announced on Twitter following the enactment of the bill that it would be filing a lawsuit to block the law from taking effect.
