NCAA warns it will pull Florida championships if transgender sports bill is approved

LEE COUNTY, Fla. – The NCAA threatened to pull the plug on Florida championship games if lawmakers approve bills to ban transgender girls from playing girls’ sports.

Republicans in the Florida House have already approved it, but Senate Republicans could be having second thoughts after the NCAA warning.

That’s because the Senate paused its vote right after the NCAA warning.  

The bill singles out transgender girls and makes no mention of transgender boys, but it has both sides fired up.

“I feel like you shouldn’t be robbed of your high school experience or even your middle school experience because of your gender identity,” said Carmen Parker.

Parker transitioned in high school.

“I struggled with joining school activities and things of that nature because going through a transition everything is about to change,” Parker explained.

However, Republicans want to ban girls like her from playing on girls’ teams.

Republican Spencer Roach said what he doesn’t want to see happen is the system get gamed by biological males who compete against women and earn scholarship out of it.

Roach co-sponsored the bill but couldn’t cite any examples of this happening in Florida.

“What we are saying is that you have to play sports that correspond with your biological birth sex,” Roach said. “That’s not anti-trans, it’s pro-girl.”

Democrat Anna Eskamani said the democratic caucus filed 18 amendments against the bill to try and make it less harsh, but she said unfortunately every amendment failed.

This includes an amendment to eliminate genital inspections to prove your sex.

“I don’t think that it should matter what is underneath my clothes or what would identify me to be able to not play a sport that I’m passionate of,” said Brayed White who is also transgender.

Under the bill, any female athlete suspected of being a male at birth would have to prove their gender. LGBTQ Activist AJ Ford of Cape Coral called that policing gender.

“Transgender issues are going to be like the civil rights issue of our time,” Ford said.

All eyes remain on the Senate to see if they will pass the bill. If so, it would require the governor’s signature to become law.

A law that could cost Florida millions if the NCAA pulls championship games out of the state.

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