Louisiana Anti-Trans Sports Bill Will Become Law
vetoed such a bill last year. Legislators passed one again this year with a veto-proof majority, and Edwards said Monday that since any veto would be overridden, he would neither veto nor sign the bill.
So it will become law and will go into effect August 1.The governor said at a news conference that he was reluctantly letting the legislation pass. “Whether it’s intended or not,” the measure will “send a strong message to at least some of these young people that they shouldn’t be who they think they are, who they believe they are, who they know that they are,” he said, according to NBC News. “And I find that very distressing.
I do believe that we can be better than that.”“I think it’s unfortunate, but it is where we are,” he added. “And I hope we can all get to a point soon where we realize that these young people are doing the very best that they can to survive.” He also noted there “hasn’t been a single instance in Louisiana of a trans girl participating in sports.”The measure, Senate Bill 44, bars trans girls and women from competing on interscholastic and intercollegiate sports teams designated for females.
It affects both public schools and any private schools that receive state funds. It does not affect intramural sports, and it does not restrict participation by trans males.Edwards is the first Democratic governor to let such a bill become law.
