'In Florida, girls are going to play girls' sports' -FL gov
Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who is closely aligned with former President Donald Trump, enacted the law on the first day of Pride Month, which celebrates the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community.
"We will stand up to groups like the NCAA who think that they should be able to dictate the policies in different states," DeSantis said.
Supporters of the sports bills say transgender female athletes have an unfair advantage, having been designated male at birth but having since transitioned. Florida's law defines an athlete's sex as that stated on official documents at birth.
Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Montana, Tennessee and West Virginia have passed similar legislation and South Dakota's governor has signed an executive order supporting a sports ban. All have Republican governors.
