Governor Doug Burgum of North Dakota, a Republican, vetoed a bill in 2021 that barred boys and men from competing on girls’ and women’s sports teams. But on Tuesday, he signed two such bills, according to the Bismark Tribune — bills that were veto-proof.
The two bills bar “transgender” athletes in K-12 and college sports.
The North Dakota High School Activities Association (NDHSAA) revised a rule to require boys and men who wanted to join female sports teams to demonstrate medically that they don’t have a physical advantage over girls and women. Of course, this is impossible. Even when taking testosterone-suppressing drugs, males remain larger, stronger, and faster than females.
Gov. Burgum said that there’s been no recorded incident of a boy playing on a girls’ sports team or even entering the process in his state.
“Nevertheless,” Gov. Burgum said in a statement, “the Legislature has now resoundingly determined that restrictions beyond the 2022 NDHSAA rules for girls’ sports should be codified in state law.”
The governor also admitted that his concerns in 2021 that collegiate tournaments like the NCAA would somehow penalize states who had such laws also didn’t materialize. But the NCAA seemed to be all talk. The organization said it would boycott states with “transgender” bans but held women’s softball tournaments in states that had bans.
Linda Thorson, state director of Concerned Women for America in North Dakota, said the new laws not only protect athletes. They also stand “in truth that men and women are different.”
No doubt the governor signed these bills begrudgingly, but the measures are a victory for girls and women. They get to continue participating in fair competitions.
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