Florida has become the latest US state to ban transgender girls and women from participating in female sports at public schools and colleges.
The state’s Republican governor Ron DeSantis signed the measure into law on Tuesday.
The law says women and girls must play on the teams of the biological sex on their birth certificate.
Governor DeSantis said “We believe that is very important that the integrity of these competitions are preserved,” as he signed the law at a Christian school in Jacksonville city.
“We’re gonna go based on biology, not based on ideology when we’re doing sports.”
The move comes as Republican-led states push back against pro-LGBT policies supported by the administration of Democratic US President Joe Biden.
Florida’s law defines an athlete’s sex as that stated on official documents at birth.
Called the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, the law says sports teams for girls and women “may not be open to students of the male sex”.
It is not clear whether all female athletes must now show their birth certificates to be in sports teams.
The law would not bar female athletes from playing on boys or men’s teams.
The law also allows students to take legal action against the school if they feel it has violated the act and “deprived” them “of an athletic opportunity”.
Supporters of the bill say transgender female athletes have an unfair advantage, having been designated male at birth but having since transitioned.
The law will apply to public secondary and high schools, colleges and universities when it comes into effect on 1 July.
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