Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) signed a bill into law on Thursday that bans biological males from competing for female sports teams in the state at the interscholastic, intercollegiate, intramural level.
"Only female students, based on their biological sex, may participate in any team, sport, or athletic event as being for females, women, or girls," Section 1 of the bill, titled "An Act to proect fairness in women's sports," reads.
The new law also allows any individuals, organizations, or institutions that might "suffer any direct or indirect harm as a result of a violation of section 1" to sue the party that caused the alleged harm.
"This bill has been an important priority for a lot of the people behind me," Noem said. "I appreciate all of their hard work in making sure that girls will always have the opportunity to play in girls sports in South Dakota and have an opportunity for a level playing field, for fairness, that gives them the chance to experience success."
South Dakota is the 10th state in the U.S. to pass such a law.
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