Reynolds signs law banning transgender females from women’s sports

Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill into law Thursday banning transgender females from participating in women’s sports.

The+girls+basketball+team+faces+off+with+Cedar+Falls+in+the+regional+semifinal+on+Feb.+19.

Owen Aanestad

The girls basketball team faces off with Cedar Falls in the regional semifinal on Feb. 19.

Audrey Parrish, Copy Editor

Today, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill into law restricting transgender female participation in sports. In America, there are currently 10 other states with similar legislation. With this new law, only people assigned female at birth will be allowed to participate in girls sports. This applies to all school activities, from kindergarten to college levels. It does not, however, apply to club sports that are not sponsored by schools. 

The bill, House File 2416 was passed 31- 17 along party lines in the Senate on Wednesday, and was given to Gov. Reynolds. This law was created to prevent transgender females, who do not have ‘female’ on their birth certificates, from having an advantage in sports competitions. Iowa is the 11th state to limit transgender females’ participation in women’s sports. Since the bill’s passing, Reynolds has faced criticism from transgender girls and civil rights activists.