On Eve of TDOV, AZ & OK Pass Anti-Trans Athlete Bills
March 30, 2022 (New York, NY) — Athlete Ally responded today, on the eve of Transgender Day of Visibility, to news that Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt have both signed bills into law in their respective states that will ban transgender youth from playing sports according to their gender identity. This brings the total number of states with anti-transgender athlete laws to 14.
In Arizona, Athlete Ally Ambassador and WNBA Phoenix Mercury player Brianna Turner spoke out against Senate Bill 1165, urging senators to vote against the bill. “Keeping transgender girls and women out of sports is not protecting me or helping any women athletes,” she said. “It’s not helping the incredibly talented women in the NCAA tournament achieve equal food, lodging, sponsorship or media coverage. It’s not doing anything to address the gender inequalities that have existed for decades in sports. This bill only contributes to bullying culture for any athlete who does not fit a particular idea of what a woman should be, and that is the exact opposite of the culture we’re trying to create in sports.”
“Arizona’s SB 1165 and Oklahoma’s HB 4245 are yet two additional cruel attempts to sideline transgender people from public life,” said Anne Lieberman, Athlete Ally’s Director of Policy and Programs. “Transgender youth in Arizona, Oklahoma and everywhere deserve to be safe, welcome and included in every part of their life, especially and including sport. We will keep up the fight against these violent and discriminatory attacks on our transgender youth.”