Texas Governor Greg Abbott (right) signed a bill Monday that will require public school students to play on sports teams based on their sex assigned at birth.
Why is this important: Although Texas has proposed more than 40 bills targeting transgender youth, this is the first to become law, reports the 19th News.
- Texas now becomes the 10th state in the nation to enact legislation banning transgender children from playing on sports teams that match their gender identity, according to NBC News.
The big picture: Republicans supporting the bills say the legislation ensures fairness in women’s sports, though several states that have passed such bills have failed to provide evidence that trans athletes have an unfair competitive advantage. .
- Last week, a White House spokesman denounced the bill as “hateful” and said it, and others like it, “are nothing more than bullying disguised as legislation and undermine the fundamental values of our nation”.
What they say : “Transgender and non-binary youth are already at higher risk for poor mental health and suicide due to bullying, discrimination and rejection. This misguided legislation will only make things worse,” Amit Paley, CEO of The Trevor Project, said in a statement.
