JACKSON, Miss. Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves said Thursday he will soon sign a bill to ban transgender athletes from competing on girls or women s sports teams in the state s schools and universities.
Alphonso David, president the LGBTQ civil rights organization Human Rights Campaign, is sharply criticizing Mississippi and other states that are considering such legislation.
“While millions of people in Mississippi are waiting for urgent relief as it relates to COVID-19, the leaders of Mississippi are not focused on that. Rather, they’re focused on prioritizing bullying against transgender kids, David said during an online news conference Thursday.
Reeves said on Twitter that the bill would “protect young girls from being forced to compete with biological males for athletic opportunities.”
Mississippi gov will sign bill limiting transgender athletes
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUSMarch 4, 2021 GMT
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves speaks about his policy priorities and the state s coronavirus pandemic response during his State of the State speech on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021, on the south steps of the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves speaks about his policy priorities and the state s coronavirus pandemic response during his State of the State speech on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021, on the south steps of the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) Mississippi is on track to become the first state this year to enact a law banning transgender athletes from competing on girls or women’s sports teams.
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS | Associated Press | Published: March 5, 2021 JACKSON, Miss. Mississippi is on track to become the first state this year to enact a law banning transgender athletes from competing on girls or women s sports teams. Republican Gov. Tate Reeves said Thursday that he will sign a bill that the Republican-controlled Mississippi Legislature has passed. It should reach his desk in the next few days. Mississippi is one of more than 20 states proposing restrictions on athletics or gender-confirming health care for transgender minors this year. Conservative lawmakers are responding to an executive order by Democratic President Joe Biden that bans discrimination based on gender identity in school sports and elsewhere. Biden signed it Jan. 20, the day he took office.