Sports

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill into law on Wednesday banning transgender girls and women from playing on female sports teams.

“We’re making that stand today in the state of Oklahoma.” “When it comes to sports and athletics: Girls should compete against girls. “The reality is, men are biologically different than women.” “We are protecting women’s sports. The Oklahoma measure is “one of many bills we have seen attacking” the state’s trans and nonbinary communities, “while overlooking the real issues with gender equality in sports when it comes to funding, resources, pay equity, and more,” Tamya Cox-Touré, executive director of the ACLU of Oklahoma, said in a statement Wednesday. “Promoting baseless fears about trans athletes does nothing to address those real problems.” Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, a Republican, vetoed his state’s version of the legislation this month, saying that it “falls short” of providing a consistent statewide policy for what he called “fairness in K-12 sports.” However, Indiana legislators have enough votes to override his veto and enact the bill, though they have not yet moved to do so.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) on Wednesday signed the “Save Women's Sports Act,” banning transgender girls and women from playing on female sports teams.

The laws have sparked backlash from civil rights groups, including the Human Rights Campaign, which said in a statement Oklahoma’s bill will exclude “all transgender girls from participating in school athletics, increasing their isolation and denying them the social, physical and emotional benefits of sports. The Oklahoma law follows a flurry of measures targeting transgender students’ ability to participate in sports introduced by Republican-led legislatures across the country. A dozen other states have already enacted bans, according to NBC, including Alabama, Florida and Mississippi. Utah became the most recent state to do so last week, when state lawmakers overrode Republican Gov. Spencer Cox’s veto of a bill banning transgender students’ participation in girls’ sports.

Kevin Stitt signed the 'Save Women's Sports Act,' which took effect immediately for transgender girls competing in high school and college sports.

“They’re not going to keep trans kids from playing sports, having fun or living their lives,” Kleber said. It applies to female sports teams in both high school and college. “When it comes to sports and athletics, girls should compete against girls.

Governor Kevin Stitt has signed a bill into law that prevents transgender girls and women from competing on female sports teams.

The Save Women’s Sports Act, the bill took effect immediately with the governor’s signature. OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KSWO) - Governor Kevin Stitt has signed a bill into law that prevents transgender girls and women from competing on female sports teams. Save Women’s Sports Act signed into law