Louisiana Senate Bill 44

Senate Bill 44
Louisiana Legislature
  • AN ACT To enact Chapter 7-A of Title 4 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, to be comprised of R.S. 4:441 through 446, relative to athletic activities; to require that schools designate intercollegiate and interscholastic athletic teams according to the biological sex of the team members; to provide that the teams designated for females are not open to participation by biological males; to provide immunity protections for schools from certain adverse actions; to provide for causes of action; to provide for legislative findings; to provide for definitions; to provide for remedies; and to provide for related matters.
Citation[1]
Territorial extent Louisiana
Enacted byLouisiana Senate
EnactedApril 19, 2022
Enacted byLouisiana House of Representatives
EnactedMay 17, 2022
Became law by inactionJune 6, 2022
EffectiveAugust 1, 2022
Legislative history
First chamber: Louisiana Senate
Introduced byBeth Mizell
IntroducedFebruary 18, 2022
First readingFebruary 18, 2022
Second readingMarch 14, 2022
Third readingApril 19, 2022
Voting summary
  • 29 voted for
  • 6 voted against
Second chamber: Louisiana House of Representatives
Received from the Louisiana SenateApril 19, 2022
First readingApril 19, 2022
Second readingMay 9, 2022
Third readingMay 17, 2022
Voting summary
  • 72 voted for
  • 21 voted against
Final stages
Finally passed both chambersMay 24, 2022
Summary
Prohibits anybody assigned male at birth from competing in women's sports in Louisiana at the K-12 and collegiate level.
Status: In force

Louisiana Senate Bill 44 (SB 44), also known as the Fairness in Women's Sports Act, is a 2022 law in the state of Louisiana that prohibits transgender women from competing in women's sports by determining eligibility based on the sexes, not gender.[1] It became law on August 1, 2022, due to Governor John Bel Edwards refusing to sign nor veto it.[2] A similar bill had been proposed in 2021, but did not pass.[3][4]

Provisions

Senate Bill 44 prohibits anybody assigned male at birth from competing in women's sports. It is determined via a person's birth certificate, and those who have their birth certificate modified to align with their gender identity are still considered ineligible.[5] The bill explicitly targets transgender women by prohibiting "biological males" from competing in teams designated for women.[6] It applies to K-12 schools and higher education, such as colleges.[7]

Reactions

Support

The primary sponsor of the bill, Beth Mizell, said that it was to protect cisgender women and keep the playing field fair.[2]

Opposition

Governor Edwards opposed the bill, but did not veto it.[8][5][9] He later stated that it was due to the bill having too much support, which meant his veto would be easily overridden in both the House and the Senate.[7][10] California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced restrictions on state-funded travel to Louisiana shortly following its passage.[11] Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser critiqued the bill by saying it could deter sporting events from coming to Louisiana, such as NCAA championships.[12] Athlete Ally, an advocacy group for LGBTQ+ athletes, opposed the bill.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ Sanchez, Brandon (2022-06-07). "Louisiana trans activists fight back against legislative attacks". People's World. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
  2. ^ a b Yurcaba, Jo (2022-06-07). "Louisiana becomes 18th state to enact a transgender athlete ban". NBC News. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
  3. ^ Cole, Devan (2022-06-06). "Louisiana enacts anti-trans sports ban after its Democratic governor declines to take action". CNN. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
  4. ^ Canicosa, JC (2021-05-04). "Bill that would bar transgender women from competing om women sports teams dies in committee". Louisiana Illuminator. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
  5. ^ a b O'Donoghue, Julie (2022-06-06). "Louisiana governor opts not to veto transgender athlete ban". Louisiana Illuminator. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
  6. ^ "Document_1288760.pdf" (PDF). Louisiana Legislature. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
  7. ^ a b Guzman, Joseph (2022-06-07). "Louisiana ban on transgender athletes competing in girls, women's sports becomes law". The Hill. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
  8. ^ Hutchinson, Piper (2022-05-17). "Transgender athlete ban approved in Louisiana House". Louisiana Illuminator. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
  9. ^ "Bills signed into law, vetoed, and allowed to become law without signature". KATC3 ABC. 2022-06-07.
  10. ^ Hutchinson, Piper; Tirado, Alex (2022-06-07). "Here are the bills that advanced, died in the final hours of the Louisiana legislative session". 89.3 WRKF. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
  11. ^ "Attorney General Bonta: California Will Restrict State-Funded Travel to Arizona, Indiana, Louisiana, and Utah". Office of the Attorney General of California. Oakland, California. 2022-06-30. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
  12. ^ Canicosa, JC (2022-04-07). "Ban on transgender athletes from women's sports advances in Louisiana Legislature". Louisiana Illuminator. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
  13. ^ "Athlete Ally Responds to Louisiana's Trans Athlete Ban". Athlete Ally. 2022-06-08. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
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