Kentucky has passed a law that prohibits biological males from participating in girls’ sports, with the Republican-controlled legislature overriding a veto by Democrat Gov. Andy Beshear.
Known as Senate Bill 83, or the “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act,” the legislation would mandate that students can only participate in sports that correspond with their birth sex.
The biological sex of the student-athlete would be determined either by their original birth certificate or via a sworn affidavit by certain medical professionals.
Although Beshear had vetoed the bill last week, the veto was overridden by the state legislature on Wednesday, with a vote of 29-8 in the Senate and 72-23 in the House.
The American Principles Project, a conservative group that has advocated for similar legislation in other states, released a statement celebrating the overriding of the governor’s veto.
“Kentucky lawmakers made the right decision in overriding this veto in order to protect their state’s female athletes,” stated APP President Terry Schilling.
“We commend them for standing up in defense of a fair playing field for women and girls, and we continue to encourage leaders in other states without such protections to join this rapidly growing movement to protect women’s sports.”
With the veto override, Kentucky becomes the 15th state to pass a law barring biological males from girls’ sports. The other states are Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and West Virginia.
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