The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the
nation's largest LGBT rights advocate, on Tuesday announced that it
would be filing a lawsuit to challenge a Florida law that prohibits
transgender athletes from competing on girls' and women's sports
teams.
The announcement came just hours after
Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, signed Senate Bill 1028 into
law.
“We will be filing a lawsuit to block
this arbitrary, discriminatory ban. #LetKidsPlay,” HRC said in a
tweet.
(Related: Florida
Governor Ron DeSantis signs transgender sports ban.)
In a statement, HRC President Alphonso
David said that Florida is “on the wrong side of history.”
“The Human Rights Campaign will
always stand up to anti-equality forces on behalf of transgender
kids, and that is exactly what we plan to do by legally challenging
this ban on the participation of transgender girls and women in
sports,” David said. “Gov. DeSantis and Florida lawmakers are
legislating based on a false, discriminatory premise that puts the
safety and well-being of transgender children on the line.
Transgender kids are kids; transgender girls are girls. Like all
children, they deserve the opportunity to play sports with their
friends and be a part of a team. Transgender youth must not be
deprived of the opportunity to learn important skills of
sportsmanship, healthy competition, and teamwork.”
“The harmful provisions added to SB
1028 will not just impact transgender people in Florida. All
Floridians will have to face the consequences of this
anti-transgender legislation – including economic harm, expensive
taxpayer-funded legal battles, and a tarnished reputation. In
Florida, we are ensuring that there are legal consequences to pay for
being on the wrong side of history,” he added.
Florida is the ninth state to approve
such a ban. Other states include South Dakota, Mississippi, Arkansas,
Tennessee, West Virginia, Montana, Alabama, and Idaho. A federal
judge has blocked implementation of Idaho's law.