Tennessee Governor Signs Transgender Athlete Bill Into Law

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has signed a bill that will require transgender athletes to compete in sports according to their sex at birth. In other words, transgender athletes who were born as a male will have to compete as a male, and vice-versa.

Lee signed the bill into law on Friday, making Tennessee the third state to enact such legislation. Mississippi and Arkansas are the others.

Lee previously said transgender athlete participation would "destroy women's sports." He addressed his decision to sign the bill on social media.

"I signed the bill to preserve women's athletics and ensure fair competition," he posted on Twitter. "This legislation responds to damaging federal policies that stand in opposition to the years of progress made under Title IX and I commend members of the General Assembly for their bipartisan work."

Similar bills are advancing in at least 21 more states this year.

"The push comes as President Joe Biden has sought to bar gender discrimination in many areas, including school sports, through a January executive order," USA Today wrote.