The Republican governor approved the measure despite
objections from medical and child-welfare groups that it would have devastating
impacts on transgender youth. Hundreds of college athletes have also urged the
NCAA to refuse to hold championships in states that enact such bans.
“This law simply says that female athletes should not have
to compete in a sport against a student of the male sex when the sport is
designed for women’s competition," Hutchinson said in a statement released
by his office. “As I have stated previously, I agree with the intention of this
law. This will help promote and maintain fairness in women’s sporting events.”
Republicans in at least 20 state legislatures have been
pushing for similar bans this year. Mississippi’s governor signed a prohibition
into law earlier this month. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem had initially said
she would sign similar legislation sent to her but has since pushed for
changing it to exclude college sports. Arkansas' law covers K-12 as well as
collegiate sports.
The head of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest
LGBTQ rights groups, called Hutchinson's decision “an affront not just to the
transgender kids it is bound to hurt but to all Arkansans who will be impacted
by its consequences."
“Hutchinson is ignoring the ugly history of states that have
dared to pass anti-transgender legislation in years past, and by doing so he is
exposing Arkansas to economic harm, expensive taxpayer-funded legal battles,
and a tarnished reputation," Alphonso David, the group's president, said
in a statement.
Only one state, Idaho, has enacted a law curtailing
transgender students’ sports participation, and that 2020 measure is blocked by
a court ruling as a lawsuit plays out. Opponents have not said whether they
plan legal action to block Arkansas' ban.
“This law is a discriminatory and shameful attempt by
politicians to stigmatize and exclude transgender teens," American Civil
Liberties Union of Arkansas Executive Director Holly Dickson said in a
statement.
Arkansas' law, if it isn't blocked by a legal challenge,
would take effect this summer. Under the new law, a student or school who
suffers “direct or indirect harm” could take a school to court for violating
the ban.
The measure is among several targeting transgender people
advancing through the majority-Republican Legislature this year. Another bill
on Hutchinson's desk would allow doctors to refuse to treat someone for moral
or religious reasons, a measure opponents says would allow LGBT patients to be
turned away.
A final vote is also expected next week on legislation that
would ban gender confirmation surgery or treatment for minors.
The measures have won support as a hate crimes bill backed
by Hutchinson has stalled, facing conservative resistance. The current version
of the bill would impose additional penalties for committing a crime against
someone because several characteristics, including gender identity or sexual
orientation.
Arkansas is one of three states without a hate crimes law.
When asked earlier this week about the message the measures
targeting transgender people send to the LGBT community, Hutchinson said he
hoped to send a welcoming message by enacting a hate crimes law.
“I want the message to be that we want to make sure that
everyone is protected, that everyone has equal treatment under the laws,"
Hutchinson told reporters Tuesday. “That is very, very important, whether it's
transgender or whether it is some other characteristic."
Hutchinson also signed the bill four years after opposing legislation that would have prohibited people from using restrooms in government buildings that do not match their gender at birth. That measure, which never advanced out of committee, had drawn opposition from tourism groups who said it would harm the state’s economy
-AP
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