The state of Texas is at it again, and liberal lawmakers, citizens and human rights activist groups are not happy about it.
Nearly two months after the Texas Heartbeat Act in which the state banned abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy, Gov. Greg Abbott Monday signed into law a bill banning transgender girls from participating in female sports in public schools, several media outlets are reporting. Texas joined several states—including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Montana, Tennessee, West Virginia and South Dakota—that have enacted a similar ban.
Some of those state bans are under court challenge.
The bill will take effect on Jan. 18. Supporters of the bill say it is aimed at protecting fairness n school sports by eliminating what they see as an “inherent physical competitive advantage of transgender athletes playing on female teams,” Reuters news service reported.
Texas’ Republican governor and Republican-controlled legislature have been busy this year drafting what radical liberals are calling “right-wing bills.” In addition to the transgender bill and the abortion bill, they have also done away with the need for a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Abbott also recently ordered a ban on private companies from enforcing COVID-19 vaccine mandates, Reuters reported.
Abbott is up for re-election in 2022.
DW.com reported that equal rights advocacy groups are calling the measure “discriminatory.” The Human Rights campaign, an LGBTQ+ rights advocacy group, said it would “continue to fight for the community” after previously saying it would challenge similar legislation n court.
At least 35 bills to exclude transgender youth from crossover participation in athletics have been introduced in 35 states this year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which governs U.S. college sports, said in April that it would only hold events in states that were “free of discrimination.” {eoa}
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