South Carolina is on the verge of banning biological males from participating in women’s sports.
On Tuesday, the South Carolina House of Representatives passed the “Save Women’s Sports Act” 82-28 on Tuesday, despite over 1,000 amendments that Democrats used to try to stall the passage of the bill.
Prior to the vote being taken, the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Ashley Trantham, thanked the bill’s supporters who have been trying to pass the bill for two years, saying, “It is because of your actions that South Carolina is one step closer to saving women’s sports.”
The bill states:
The General Assembly finds that: maintaining the fairness for women’s athletic opportunities is an important state interest; and requiring the designation of separate sex-specific athletic teams or sports is necessary to maintain fairness for women’s athletic opportunities.
Interscholastic, intercollegiate, intramural, or club athletic teams or sports that are sponsored by a public secondary school or public postsecondary institution must be expressly designated as one of the following based on the biological sex at birth of team members: males, men, or boys; females, women, or girls; or coed or mixed, including both males and females.
Athletic teams or sports designated for males, men, or boys may be open to students of the female sex. Athletic teams or sports designated for females, women, or girls may not be open to students of the male sex.
In March 2021, the South Carolina Democrat Party (SCDP) ripped state Rep. Cezar McKnight (D-101) after McKnight introduced legislation that would prohibit minors from undergoing sex reassignment surgery or receiving puberty blockers.
“House Bill 4047 will criminalize not just the affirmation of one’s gender, but would turn teachers and faculty into criminals for simply listening to students,” SCDP Chairman Trav Robertson, Jr., said. “Government should never replace the advice of sound medical counsel, provided by professional practitioners. While the author of this bill is a Democrat, I ask all Democratic legislators to stand in firm opposition to this bill.”
The Associated Press reported that the SCDP approved a resolution condemning the bill, claiming it was “ill-founded, unscientific, and apt to result in death and other negative outcomes for transgender citizens of all ages, and the South Carolina Democratic Party thus condemns this outrageous bill – and its Democratic supporters – in the strongest possible terms. … Bigotry will find no quarter among South Carolina Democrats, and those who embrace bigotry of any kind will face broad opposition and our most vigorous condemnation.”
South Carolina is following the lead of Arizona, Kentucky, and Oklahoma, which already passed bills in March banning biological boys from participating in girls’ sports.