Florida to bar males from girls’ sports

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said his state will go on biology, not ideology, when doing sports. He signed a bill into law on Tuesday that blocks male athletes who identify as female from participating in girls sports at Florida’s public schools.

Will it take effect? The measure approved by the GOP-led Legislature takes effect July 1, but opponents have already vowed legal challenges. State Sen. Kelli Stargel, also a Republican, championed the bill, saying it’s “very simply about making sure that women can safely compete, have opportunities and physically be able to excel in a sport that they trained for, prepared for, and work for.” Lawmakers in many states are considering or have already passed similar bills to protect women’s sports.

Dig deeper: Read Mary Jackson’s report in Relations about a court ruling against female athletes trying to protect their sports.