Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves signed the Mississippi Fairness Act into law on Thursday so that “young girls are not forced to compete against biological males.”
“This is an important day for the women and girls of Mississippi,” Reeves said. “This important piece of legislature will ensure young girls in Mississippi have a fair playing field in public sports.”
“I never imagined dealing with this, but POTUS left us no choice,” Reeves wrote on Twitter. “One of his first acts was to sign an EO encouraging transgenderism in children. So today, I proudly signed the Mississippi Fairness Act to ensure young girls are not forced to compete against biological males.”
I never imagined dealing with this, but POTUS left us no choice. One of his first acts was to sign an EO encouraging transgenderism in children. So today, I proudly signed the Mississippi Fairness Act to ensure young girls are not forced to compete against biological males. pic.twitter.com/INZgKQRMJr
— Tate Reeves (@tatereeves) March 11, 2021
The Fairness Act states in part (formatting adjusted):
Interscholastic or intramural athletic teams or sports that are sponsored by a public primary or secondary school or any school that is a member of the Mississippi High School Activities Association or public institution of higher education or any higher education institution that is a member of the NCAA, NAIA or NJCCA shall be expressly designated as one of the following based on biological sex: (a) “Males,” “men” or “boys”; (b) “Females,” “women” or “girls”; or (c) “Coed” or “mixed.” Athletic teams or sports designated for “females,” “women” or “girls” shall not be open to students of the male sex.
If disputed, a student may establish his or her sex by presenting a signed physician’s statement which shall indicate the student’s sex based solely upon: (a) The student’s internal and external reproductive anatomy; (b) The student’s normal endogenously produced levels of testosterone; and (c) An analysis of the student’s genetic makeup.
Reeves signaled last week that he would sign the bill, writing on Twitter: “I will sign our bill to protect young girls from being forced to compete with biological males for athletic opportunities. It’s crazy we have to address it, but the Biden E.O. forced the issue. Adults? That’s on them. But the push for kids to adopt transgenderism is just wrong.”
The bill passed with overwhelming support in the state’s House and Senate in an 81-28 vote and 34-9 vote, respectively.
“If we do not move to protect female sports from biological males who have an unfair physiological advantage, we will eventually no longer have female sports,” Republican state Sen. Angela Hill told ABC News after the bill passed.
A poll from left-wing Politico this week found that there was “broad support” among U.S. voters to ban biological males from competing against girls in sports.
“Former President Donald Trump railed against transgender athletes in female sports in his CPAC speech a few weeks ago. Other prominent voices on the right have joined in, calling it an example of political correctness having a real-world impact. Our latest POLITICO/Morning Consult poll shows broad support for the GOP position, extending across gender, age and, to a lesser degree, party,” Politico reported. “Overall, 53% of registered voters support banning transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports, versus a third who oppose such a ban.”