North Dakota Governor Signs Trans Athlete Ban Into Law

BISMARCK, ND (AP) — North Dakota Republican Gov. Doug Burgum signed two transgender athlete bans into law Tuesday night, effectively barring transgender girls and women from joining women’s sports teams in K-12 and college. .

House and Senate lawmakers passed the bills with veto-proof majorities this year. If the governor had vetoed the bills or refused to sign them, it is likely that the bills would have become law.

At least 19 other states have placed restrictions on transgender athletes. US Republican lawmakers have written hundreds of laws this year to roll back LGBTQ+ liberties, with particular focus on the daily lives of transgender people, including sports, health care, bathrooms, workplaces, and the schools.

The Biden administration this month proposed a rule, still facing a lengthy approval process, to prohibit outright bans on transgender athletes.

In 2021, Burgum vetoed a nearly identical bill that would have banned transgender girls from playing on girls’ teams in public schools. Lawmakers did not have enough votes that year to override the veto.

This year, lawmakers drafted new legislation to replicate and expand that bill, including at the university level. Those bills are now law.

Trisha Ahmed is a staff member of the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on covert issues. Follow Trisha Ahmed on Twitter: @TrishaAhmed15.