Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, a Republican, on Thursday signed a bill that bans transgender athletes from competing on girls or women's sports teams.

Senate Bill 2536, known as the Mississippi Fairness Act, is set to take effect on July 1.

At a signing ceremony held in the Mississippi Capitol, Reeves said that the legislation was a response to President Joe Biden's executive order implementing the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County.

“But for the fact that President Biden as one of his first initiatives sat down and signed an executive order – which, in my opinion, encourages transgenderism amongst our young people – but for that fact, we wouldn't be here today,” Reeves said.

On Twitter, Reeves said that he was “proud” to sign the bill.

In Bostock, the high court found that anti-LGBT discrimination is a form of sex discrimination. The ruling has wide-ranging implications, affecting policies that prohibit discrimination based on sex. It specifically prohibits workplace discrimination.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest LGBT rights advocate, denied Reeves' claim that the bill was a response to Biden's order.

“Governor Reeves’ eagerness to become the face of the latest anti-transgender push is appalling, as he chooses fear and division over facts and science,” HRC President Alphonso David said in a statement. “This law is a solution in search of a problem, and legislators in Mississippi have not provided any examples of Mississippi transgender athletes gaming the system for a competitive advantage because none exist. While transgender athletes have been competing at every level for years without incident, Governor Reeves is signing this bill while Mississippians continue to suffer and real issues go unaddressed. Bullying transgender kids is no way to govern the state out of the crises they face.”

“While he claims this bill is necessary pushback against the Biden Administration, he is ignoring the fact that 35 anti-transgender sports bills were introduced during the Trump presidency last year, including in Mississippi. Like previous iterations of the same anti-equality fight, this law is bound to face scrutiny, legal challenges, and ultimately hurt the state’s reputation. Transgender kids deserve better and so does Mississippi,” he said.

According to an HRC count, 108 bills targeting the LGBT community have been introduced in state legislatures this legislative session, with 71 bills specifically targeting the rights of transgender individuals.

(Related: White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki: Biden believes “trans rights are human rights.”)

A federal court last year blocked a similar bill in Idaho from taking effect.

Lawmakers in South Dakota have sent a similar bill to Governor Kristi Noem for her signature. The Republican governor has said that she is “excited” to sign the bill.