Oklahoma Governor Signs Bill Banning Transgender Girl Athletes

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill Wednesday that will prevent transgender girls and women from competing in girls and women's sports.

Stitt proclaimed during a news conference for the bill's signing that boys should compete against boys and girls should compete against girls.

"To us in Oklahoma, it is just common sense," Stitt said.

Stitt signed Senate Bill 2, called the Save Women's Sports Act, surrounded by a group of female athletes, some of whom were holding signs that read "Save Women's Sports."

The bill includes public schools and public charter schools in the state as well as any university in the Oklahoma State University System. The system includes 25 colleges in the state, including the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University.

Any student who is deprived of an athletic opportunity or suffers direct or indirect harm from an athlete designated male at birth competing in women's sports can sue for "injunctive relief, damages and any other relief available permitted by law against the school," according to the law.

The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association, the governing body for high school athletics in the state, issued a statement Wednesday saying the organization would comply with the new law.