Thread by @ashtonpittman

BREAKING: Gov. Tate Reeves will sign #SB2536, banning transgender athletes in K-12 and college from playing on teams that correspond to their gender.

A trans man, for example, will have to play on the women's team under the "Mississippi Fairness Act." 1/ mississippifreepress.org/9879/gov-reeve…

“As thousands die each day of COVID-19 and millions of Americans are out of work, some state legislatures have chosen to attack, demean & dehumanize their constituents rather than focus on delivering relief and assistance.”—@HRC President @AlphonsoDavid 2/
mississippifreepress.org/9879/gov-reeve…

“Today...Mississippi became the first state to take the plunge by passing legislation specifically attacking transgender children. Mississippi is so determined to be on the wrong side of history that it's defying the evidence in favor of discrimination.” 3/mississippifreepress.org/9879/gov-reeve…

Sen. Angela Hill is the lead sponsor of the anti-trans "Fairness Act." Hill says it will ensure a "fair" and level playing field for women athletes.

Last year, Hill voted against an "equal pay" law for women. Mississippi is the only state without one. 4/ mississippifreepress.org/9879/gov-reeve…

The anti-trans athletes bill passed the Mississippi House by a vote of 81-28.

YEAS
Republicans: 73
Democrats: 8

NAYS
Democrats: 28

PRESENT:
Democrats: 7

ABSENT/NOT VOTING:
Democrats: 3
Republicans: 2 #MSLeg

5/
mississippifreepress.org/9879/gov-reeve…

The 8 Democratic reps who joined all but two Republicans and voted FOR Mississippi's anti-trans bill are:
-Cedric Burnett
-Jon Lancaster
-Hester Jackson-McCray
-Tom Miles
-Michael Evans
-Kevin Horan
-De’Keither Stamps
-Orlando Paden
#SB2536 #MSLeg 6/
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Gov. Tate Reeves claims the anti-trans sports bill became necessary after President Biden signed an executive order banning anti-trans discrimination in public schools.

But Sen. Hill introduced the bill on Jan. 18—two days before Biden took office. 7/ mississippifreepress.org/9879/gov-reeve…

Much of Mississippi's anti-trans athletes bill is copied from a 2020 Idaho law that the Alliance Defending Freedom, an anti-LGBT org that @splcenter calls a "hate group," helped craft.

ADF has written anti-LGBT Mississippi laws in the past. Ex: #HB1523 8/ mississippifreepress.org/9879/gov-reeve…

This screenshot shows key portions of the 2020 Idaho bills + the 2021 Mississippi bills. The purple sections represent parts of the text that are identical in both bills.

Bills with similar language are currently alive in state legislatures nationwide. 9/ mississippifreepress.org/9879/gov-reeve…

Mississippi lawmakers finally retired our Confederate state flag last year under threat of economic sanctions, boycotts and loss of millions from sports events.

But @HRC warns #SB2536 once again risks damaging Mississippi economically. 10/
mississippifreepress.org/9879/gov-reeve…

“There is simply no justification for banning transgender girls and women from participating in athletics other than discrimination. ... History will not look kindly on this moment in Mississippi," said @HRC President @AlphonsoDavid. 11/ mississippifreepress.org/9879/gov-reeve…

Note the British Journal of Sports Medicine @NickJudin cited which “found that between 1-2 years of hormone-replacement therapy was sufficient to allow equitable competition between trans-women & cis-women even at elite Olympic levels, to say nothing of high-school level sports.”

Also, so long as we're talking about "fairness" for women, Gov. Tate Reeves led the Mississippi Senate for 8 years, yet we never passed the Evelyn Gandy Equal Pay bill under him.

In fact, under Gov. Reeves, MS became the only stage with no equal pay law after Alabama passed one.

https://twitter.com/ashtonpittman/status/1166370416295862272

*Under Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, I should say.