South Carolina governor signs transgender sports ban bill

By JEFFREY COLLINS
Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina’s Republican governor has quietly signed into law a bill that would ban transgender students from playing girls’ or women’s sports in public schools and colleges. Gov. Henry McMaster’s signature Monday means South Carolina joins about a dozen other states that have passed similar laws requiring transgender students to compete with the gender listed on their birth certificates. McMaster didn’t issue a statement after signing the bill, but said earlier this month he thought “girls ought to play girls and the boys ought to play boys. That’s the way we’ve always done it.” Opponents of the law say it singles out students who aren’t elite athletes but are just looking for a way to be a regular student.