South Carolina passes 'Save Women's Sports Act'

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster (R) signed the Save Women’s Sports Act into law on Monday.

”The Save Women’s Sports Act is now the law of the land in South Carolina,” McMaster tweeted on Tuesday. “We have to do everything we can to protect the young men and women in our state who choose to pursue athletic competition, and that’s why I proudly signed this bill into law yesterday.”

The Save Women’s Sports Act is now the law of the land in South Carolina. We have to do everything we can to protect the young men and women in our state who choose to pursue athletic competition, and that’s why I proudly signed this bill into law yesterday.

— Gov. Henry McMaster (@henrymcmaster) May 17, 2022

South Carolina is now the eighteenth state to pass legislation preventing men from competing on women’s sports teams. The new law applies to public K-12 schools and public universities. 

”It is the intent of the General Assembly to maintain opportunities for female athletes to demonstrate their strength, skills, and athletic abilities, and to provide them with opportunities to obtain recognition and accolades, college scholarships, and numerous other long-term benefits that result from participating and competing in athletic endeavors,” the text reads. 

In April, Campus Reform reported that South Carolina Democrats proposed 1,000 amendments in an eight-hour attempt to delay the bill’s passage. 

Of those 1,000 amendments, 600 were duplicates. 

Both the state Senate and House passed the Act on May 10. The Senate voted 30-10 and the House voted 70-33. 

Campus Reform contacted the Governor’s office for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.