Florida governor bans biological men from women's sports

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill on June 1 that bans biological men and boys from competing in women’s and girls’ sports. The governor believes that the legislation will ensure fairness for female athletes.

[RELATED: Judge halts Trump-backed transgender student athlete law in Idaho]

The signed bill, SB 1028, applies to public high school and public universities in the state.  

The new law defines an athlete’s gender as the sex listed on their birth certificate. Furthermore, students can now sue educational institutions that violate this law.

DeSantis spoke at a townhall for Republican Governors on Fox News, hosted by Laura Ingraham. During the event, he stated “I have a 4-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old daughter. They’re both very athletic. We want to have opportunities for our girls. They deserve an even playing field, and that’s what we’re doing”.

[RELATED: Biden admin drops support of female athletes after transgender executive order]

State Senator Kelli Stargel, a Republican, told the Herald Tribune that her support for the bill is rooted in the differences between men and women.

“You can sit here and say there’s no difference between men and women. If that’s not the case, then why do we have the bills we have to protect women when it comes to assaults and rape … we know that men are stronger than women,” she said.

Florida is the 8th state that bans transgender females from competing in girls’ sports. Other states to do so previously were Idaho, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Montana, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

Campus Reform reached out to Florida students for their reactions. This article will be updated accordingly.