Select Page

Transgender girls and women now barred from female sports in Iowa

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Jan. 11, 2022, at the Statehouse in Des Moines, Iowa. Iowa legislators on Wednesday, March 2, 2022, gave final approval to a bill that would prohibit transgender females from participating in girls high school sports and women’s college athletics, sending a divisive bill likely to draw legal challenges to the governor. Charlie Neibergall/AP hide caption

toggle caption

Charlie Neibergall/AP

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Jan. 11, 2022, at the Statehouse in Des Moines, Iowa. Iowa legislators on Wednesday, March 2, 2022, gave final approval to a bill that would prohibit transgender females from participating in girls high school sports and women’s college athletics, sending a divisive bill likely to draw legal challenges to the governor.

Charlie Neibergall/AP

This post will be updated.

Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed into law a bill (HF 2416) that bars transgender girls and women from competing in girls’ and women’s sports in Iowa.

The ban takes effect immediately. The ban applies to K-12 schools and community colleges as well as colleges and universities that are part of the NCAA or NAIA.

Reynolds signed the law in the Capitol rotunda surrounded by young women who support the measure. She repeated the claim that transgender girls hold an advantage over other female athletes.

“It worries me that this bill is needed at all. It’s hard to imagine how anyone who cares about the rights of women and girls could support anything less.”

Democrats and LGBTQ advocates say the law attacks a small, marginalized group of students over competitiveness claims that they say are exaggerated.

Ten other states currently have transgender athlete bans in place. Many of those are caught up in ongoing legal challenges.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2022/03/03/1084278181/transgender-girls-and-women-now-barred-from-female-sports-in-iowa