Gov. McMaster signs transgender sports bill into law

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster has signed the ‘Save Women’s Sports Act’ into law.

Student athletes from elementary to college will be required to compete in events based on their gender assigned at birth. It prohibits transgender women from competing in women’s sports.

Advocates with SC United for Justice and Equality issued a statement in response to the bill signing which reads in part,

“It pains us to see lawmakers ignore thousands in SC – including parents, medical providers, faith leaders & trans people – who worked to #SupportTransYouthSC and reject this dangerous bill”

The Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Christiana Kiefer said in support of the bill signing,

“Girls deserve to compete on a level playing field. We welcome South Carolina to the growing number of states that have acted to preserve fair competition for all females, whether in grade school or college. When the law ignores biological differences, it’s women and girls who bear the brunt of the harm. We’ve seen this in the increasing examples of males dominating girls’ athletic competitions when competing as females, capturing championships and shattering long-standing female track records. We commend the legislature and the governor for supporting this important legislation and ensuring that female athletes will not face those losses in South Carolina.”

The Trevor Project also issued a statement in reaction to the signing of the bill, condemning it. Sam Ames the Director for Advocacy and Government Affairs at the project said, “Like every one of the sports bans we’ve seen passed across the country over the last three years, this is a solution in search of a problem, and it will only work to increase the isolation and stigmatization of an already-marginalized group of students.”

McMaster issued a statement Tuesday afternoon. It reads in part, “We have to do everything we can to protect the young men and women in our state who choose to pursue athletic competition, and that’s why I proudly signed this bill into law yesterday.”

RELATED COVERAGE:

• Transgender sports bill heading to Gov. McMaster
• 1,000 amendments can’t stall SC transgender sports bill

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