Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota, an enthusiastic backer of former President Donald J. Trump who is seen as a possible 2024 presidential candidate, finds herself in the crossfire of a culture-war issue promoted by Mr.
Trump: transgender students’ participation in sports. On Friday, Ms. Noem announced that she would not sign a bill passed by the Republican-controlled state legislature banning transgender girls and women from participating in girls’ or women’s sports at all levels — proposing instead that the restrictions apply to middle school and high school athletic competitions, but not college sports.