Trans Sports Ban Heats Up In Florida

The Florida House voted 77-40 to ban transgender girls from playing sports alongside their peers. Despite fierce bipartisan opposition from lawmakers across the country, professional & collegiate sporting organizations including the Miami HEAT & Misfits Gaming Group, world-renowned athletes, faith leaders, legal scholars, medical professionals, over 65 major corporations & the very experts that bill sponsors cite as justification the ban now heads to the Senate where its companion (SB 2012) has one remaining committee stop. Jon Harris Maurer, Public Policy Director for Equality Florida stated, “All eyes are on the Florida Senate to stop this cruel legislation & protect the transgender youth this bill vilifies. If this bill passes, it would be the first anti-LGBTQ bill to pass the Florida Legislature in 23 years & could send shockwaves through an economic recovery dependent on conventions, events, sports & tourism. We know this is a nationally-coordinated attack fueled by far right anti-LGBTQ organizations & the Florida House has taken the bait. The Florida Senate must hear the voices of transgender kids & reject this state-sanctioned discrimination.” Cathryn Oakley HRC Campaign State Legislative Director & Senior Counsel concluded, "This legislation has no basis in facts, & legislators across the country have neglected to name any examples of the sky falling based on transgender athletes' participation in youth sports. That's because those examples simply don't exist & athletic organizations have welcomed transgender athletes' participation for years without incident. Anti-equality legislators should realize that while there is no problem here, there are serious issues that need addressing in Florida, like the pandemic & its economic impact. They should focus on addressing the challenges that are actually facing Florida & leave transgender kids alone." For More Info…