A Senate Bill to ban transgender females from playing girls’ and women’s sports in Mississippi public schools and colleges passed by 34-9. Senate Bill 2536, also requires that every member of a team have the same biological sex. Republican Senator Angela Hill of Picayune authored the bill.
“I’ve had numerous coaches across the state call me and believe there’s a need for a policy in Mississippi, because they’re beginning to have some concerns of having to deal with this. Mississippi is one of only ten states that don’t have a policy,” said Angela Hill.
Rob Hill is with the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy group. He says the legislation is a cookie-cutter bill being used across the country by extremist groups. Hill says the false story conveyed is that men and boys are transitioning to become females so they have a competitive edge in sports.
“There’s no evidence of anything like that occurring so I’m angry. This is not just an attack on transgender people but it’s an attempt to disenfranchise, further disenfranchise the LGBTQ community,” said Rob Hill.
The House also passed a bill that would allow college athletes to be compensated for their name and likeness. House Bill 1030 passed with an amendment that bans males from playing on females teams. Rob Hill says both measures advance fear and hate.
“This is not something that should be a priority in our state,” said Rob Hill.
Hill says they’ll be urging legislators not to pass the bills.
.jpg)
