Maria Caspani

(Reuters) – Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed Wednesday a Republican-backed law banning transgender girls from school sports. This joins a growing list of other states with similar laws.

Stitt (a Republican) said that women’s sport is being protected and that she was ensuring equal playing fields for all athletes. She spoke in front of young female athletes at the signing ceremony.

This so-called Save Women’s Sports Act is applicable to all public schools from elementary through high school.

Oklahoma joins 12 states which have passed legislation banning transgender girls participating in and competing in girl’s sports at school.

Similar bills, which were approved in Arizona last week and Kentucky this week, are currently awaiting action by the governors.

The opponents of these laws claim that they are backed by conservative special interest groups to garner support in advance of the midterm election, which will see Republicans seeking to return a majority of Senate and House seats.

In 2019, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that only 1.8% of high-school students are transgender. Human Rights Campaign, an advocacy group, has stated that only 12% of these girls participate in girl’s sports.

The culture wars in America have brought transgender rights to the forefront, as well as issues like reproductive rights.

Human Rights Campaign stated that it tracks over 300 LGBTQ+-related bills in state legislatures. Some of them are targeted specifically at transgender youth.