Florida became the eighth state in the nation to ban transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports in school when the state’s Republican governor signed the bill into law on June 1, the beginning of LGBTQ Pride Month.
The law’s backers claim that allowing transgender girls to compete against cisgender girls is unfair. Advocates for transgender rights have dismissed it as a baseless justification for discrimination.
“Not once has there been an incident or complaint in our state alleging that a transgender athlete’s participation unfairly impacted middle school, high school or college athletic competition,” the Florida Senate Democratic Caucus said in a statement.
The ban is part of a historic wave of anti-trans legislation sweeping the United States, largely pushed by Republican lawmakers.
Orlando Sentinel, June 1 CNN, June 1