JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves has signed a bill banning transgender athletes from competing on girls or women’s sports teams. He signed the bill Thursday.
Mississippi becomes the first state this year to enact such a ban, with more than 20 states considering similar bills. A federal court blocked an Idaho law last year.
Reeves says Democratic President Joe Biden “forced the issue” by signing an order banning discrimination based on gender identity in school sports and elsewhere.
Alphonso David is president the LGBTQ civil rights organization Human Rights Campaign. He says Mississippi lawmakers are “prioritizing bullying against transgender kids.”