Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves says he will sign “The Fairness Act” into law after it passed the state House 81-28 on Wednesday.
The bill had previously passed in the state Senate with a 34-9 vote.
State Sen. Angela Hill filed SB 2536 that requires any public school, public institution of higher learning, or an institution of higher learning that is a member of the NCAA, NAIA, MHSAA or NJCCA to designate its athletic or sports teams according to biological sex.
Senator Hill spoke candidly about the bill in a recent Y’all Politics interview which can be viewed here.
With the Biden Administration’s recent actions, a national debate is raging about biological males competing in women’s sports.
Governor Reeves announced his intent to sign the legislation on Thursday, saying:
“I will sign our bill to protect young girls from being forced to compete with biological males for athletic opportunities. It’s crazy we have to address it, but the Biden E.O. forced the issue. Adults? That’s on them. But the push for kids to adopt transgenderism is just wrong.”
In late February, the U.S. House, led by Democrats, passed the Equality Act. On its face, the legislation would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, public accommodations, public education, federal funding, credit, and the jury system.
However, conservative critics and Republican lawmakers say this legislation take a further step into empowering the federal government to impose civil and criminal punishments on citizens who dissent from such ideology, including medical professionals, parents, women and girls, businesses, and charities. It would take away basic authorities of states and local communities to determine who is allowed in single-sex facilities and whether biological men are allowed to join women’s and girls’ sports.
State Representative Becky Currie presented the Fairness Act in the Mississippi House on Wednesday prior to its passage. She said the passage of the bill would not put the state in bad standing with the NCAA.
However, the ACLU of Mississippi sees it differently. The group tweeted that the NCAA did come out against an Idaho “anti-trans athletics bill,” saying it could impact the hosting of tournament and other events.
The ACLU also issued this threat to the state of Mississippi: “If Governor Reeves signs SB 2536, Mississippi WILL face consequences.”
Such a statement would lead onlookers to speculate that legal challenges could be pending, even before the Mississippi Governor’s ink is dry.
If Governor Reeves signs SB 2536, Mississippi WILL face consequences.#ProtectTransKids
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— ACLU of Mississippi (@ACLU_MS) March 4, 2021
