A bill has been signed into law prohibiting transgender girls from taking part in female sports in schools, Reuters reports.

The bill, set to take effect on January 18, was signed into law on Monday, October 25, by Texas Governor Greg Abbott and bans trans girls in public schools from playing sports alongside cisgender girls.

Those in favor of the bill say that it is supposed to ensure there is fairness in school sports. They believe trans girls have an inherent physical advantage over their cisgender peers.

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Equal rights advocates, however, have branded such measures as discriminatory. They argue there is little to no evidence that transgender girls have an innate advantage.

This certainly isn't the first bill of this nature - similar measures have been taken in other conservative parts of the US. In fact, seven other states have seen the passage of similar laws just this year, per Reuters.

In March 2020, Idaho prohibited athletes who were assigned male at birth from competing on sports teams against athletes who were assigned female at birth in public schools or colleges.

However, the enforcement of the law has been blocked by a federal court as it awaits the outcome of a legal challenge against the ban.

Other states whose legislation has mirrored the Idaho law include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Montana, Tennessee, and West Virginia. South Dakota's governor, however, acted by executive order. Some of these states are also experiencing a challenge by the courts.

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At least 35 bills with the aim of barring transgender youngsters from the world of sport have been put forward in 31 states this year - an increase from 29 in 2020 and two in 2019, according to statistics by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The Texas law has been condemned by trans activists online, with LGBTQ writer Charlotte Clymer tweeting: "Greg Abbott just signed a bill in Texas this evening that bans trans children and student-athletes from competing on sports teams that align with their authentic gender identity.

"Overruling medical experts and iconic women athletes like Megan Rapinoe and Billie Jean King."

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Another wrote: "Texas is so broken by hatred I don't know if it'll ever be a normal state. For shame."

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Featured image credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera/Bob Daemmrich Photography / Alamy

Texas bans transgender girls from female sports in schools