South Carolina Makes Moves to Protect Female Athletics, Separates Sports Based on Biological Sex

South Carolina has become the newest state to create legislation to protect women’s sports. The “Save Women’s Sports Act” was signed into law by the Governor of South Carolina, Henry McMaster, who took to Twitter to comment, saying, “The Save Women’s Sports Act is now the law of the land in South Carolina. We have to do everything we can to protect the young men and women in our state who choose to pursue athletic competition, and that’s why I proudly signed this bill into law yesterday.” He continued, “It’s common sense, boys should play boy’s sports and girls should play girl’s sports.” 

The Save Women’s Sports Act is now the law of the land in South Carolina. We have to do everything we can to protect the young men and women in our state who choose to pursue athletic competition, and that’s why I proudly signed this bill into law yesterday.

— Gov. Henry McMaster (@henrymcmaster) May 17, 2022

It’s common sense, boys should play boys sports and girls should play girls sports.

— Gov. Henry McMaster (@henrymcmaster) May 17, 2022

The bill states that “Interscholastic, intercollegiate, intramural, or club athletic teams or sports that are sponsored by a public elementary or secondary school or public postsecondary institution must be expressly designated as one of the following based on the biological sex at birth of team members:

(a) males, men, or boys;

(b) females, women, or girls; or

(c) coed or mixed, including both males and females.”

In other words, the bill clears up the confusion and creates a level playing ground for biological women.

The Human Rights Campaign wasted no time before attacking the law. They quickly released an article condemning the Governor’s actions and the new legislation. They wrote, “HB 4608 is a discriminatory attack on transgender students that are just trying to fit in and play sports with their peers.” 

They continued on by quoting the Human Rights Campaign State Legislative Director and Senior Counsel, Cathryn Oakley, “HB 4608 is a shameful bill and a stain on Governor McMaster’s record. Transgender kids are playing school sports because it’s what kids often do to make friends, get exercise, and learn what it takes to be part of a team. Transgender people have participated uneventfully in school athletics for decades, and this issue is simply manufactured to further distract and divide us. This bill is not about fairness for women; it’s about attacking a marginalized group that is already bearing the weight of discrimination. History will remember Governor McMaster’s disregard for compassion, humanity, and basic human rights.”

While the Left is attacking the bill as “shameful”, they miss the bigger picture. According to the bill, “It is the intent of the General Assembly to maintain opportunities for female athletes to demonstrate their strength, skills, and athletic abilities, and to provide them with opportunities to obtain recognition and accolades, college scholarships, and numerous other long-term benefits that result from participating and competing in athletic endeavors.” 

Female athletes in South Carolina will no longer have to worry about having their titles stripped away by biological men or not getting a fair competition. While this bill is becoming controversial, much thanks to the Left, it doesn’t have to be.