PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is proposing a bill to ban transgender women and girls from participation in female school sports leagues.
The proposal will be considered during the legislative session in January.
It revives a debate in the Capitol that split Republicans last year. A similar bill ultimately died in March after the governor issued a “style and form veto” against it.
Noem described her new proposal as an effort to ensure “an equal playing field” for women. But advocates for transgender people said it was simply an attack on transgender women and girls.
In her latest bill, Noem writes “only female athletes, based on their biological sex, may participate in any team, sport, or athletic event designated as being for females, women or girls.”
It appears the governor may also be targeting the collegiate level with her new bill, even though the NCAA frowns on such legislation.
