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A28 u.s. news
Diahuebs 3 Juni 2021

Florida governor OKs limits on transgender student athletes

she was identified as a girl lators, and it’s insulting that According to a 2017 Associat-
when she was born. It’s not they’ve staged this morning’s ed Press study, North Caro-
clear whether athletes must photo-op on the first day of lina stood to lose $3.8 billion
show their birth certificates, Pride Month,” said state Sen. over a dozen years because of
or only those whose gender Shevrin Jones. “At the end of a so-called “bathroom bill.”
is questioned. The proposal the day, transgender kids are Those losses were averted
allows another student to sue just kids.” when a 2019 settlement kept
if a school allows a transgen- the state from barring trans-
der girl or woman to play on The ban was tucked at the gender people from using
a team intended for students last minute of the legislative bathrooms that conformed to
identified as female at birth. session into a measure allow- their gender identity.
ing public universities and
The final wording of the colleges to sponsor charter “Let me say very clearly: In
“Fairness in Women’s Sports schools — a point the gov- Florida, we’re going to do
Act” stripped away some of its ernor did not mention dur- what’s right to stand up to
most contentious elements, ing the bill signing. It was the corporations, they are not
including a requirement that transgender athletes provi- going to dictate the policies
transgender athletes in high sion that was front and center in this state,” DeSantis said
schools and colleges undergo in Tuesday’s rhetoric. while flanked by students at
testosterone or genetic test- the religious school. “We will
ing and submit to having “This bill is very simply stand up to groups like the
(AP) — Florida’s Republi- The NCAA, which oversees their genitalia examined. about making sure that wom- NCAA who think that they
can governor signed a bill college athletics, has said it en can safely compete, have should be able to dictate the
Tuesday barring transgen- has “a long-standing policy But the legislation signed opportunities and physically policies in different states.
der girls and women from that provides a more inclu- by the governor advances an be able to excel in a sport that Not here, not ever.”
playing on public school sive path for transgender par- underlying principle asserted they trained for, prepared for
teams intended for stu- ticipation in college sports.” by supporters: Biological dif- and work for,” said state Sen. A Connecticut track athlete,
dent athletes identified as The NCAA currently re- ferences make it unfair for Kelli Stargel, a Republican Selina Soule, joined the Flor-
girls at birth, plunging the quires transgender women to athletes identified as boys at who championed the bill. ida governor at the news con-
state into the national cul- get treatment to lower their birth to compete on teams ference to talk about how she
ture debate over transgen- testosterone levels before for girls and women. The law “This is nothing about any- failed to advance in competi-
der rights. they can compete in wom- would not bar female ath- body being discriminated tions because she competed
en’s sports. letes from playing on boys or against,” she said. “It’s solely against transgender athletes.
“In Florida, girls are going to men’s teams. so that women have an op- She called it unfair.
play girls sports and boys are When the Florida Legisla- portunity to compete in
going to play boys sports,” ture was considering the Human Rights Campaign women’s sports.” That Soule was from out of
Gov. Ron DeSantis said as he measure in April, the NCAA President Alphonso David state was not lost on critics
signed the bill into law at a said it would commit cham- said the new law would not The Florida law mirrors an who contend that the mat-
private Christian academy in pionship games to “locations only harm transgender girls. Idaho law, the first of its kind ter was not an urgent one for
Jacksonville that would not where hosts can commit to “All Floridians will have to when enacted last year, that is Florida, noting that just 11
be subject to the law. “We’re providing an environment face the consequences of this now mired in legal challeng- athletes applied for screening
going to make sure that that’s that is safe, healthy and free anti-transgender legislation es. GOP governors in Arkan- by the Florida High School
the reality.” of discrimination.” — including economic harm, sas, Mississippi and Tennes- Athletic Association since
expensive taxpayer-funded see recently signed similar adopting its transgender par-
The new law, sure to be chal- High-profile athletic events, legal battles, and a tarnished measures. ticipation policy in 2013.
lenged as unconstitutional, such as football bowl games reputation.”
inflames an already conten- and basketball tournaments, Efforts by conservatives to “This is not out of need or
tious discussion unfolding generate millions of dollars Democrats and LGBTQ ad- restrict rights of gay, lesbian necessity,” said Orlando
nationally as Republican- for local communities. vocates said the law is dis- and transgender people have Gonzales, the executive di-
controlled states move to criminatory and will be chal- spawned numerous battles rector of SAVE, a South
limit the rights of LGBTQ The measure approved by the lenged in court as unconsti- in key arenas — not only in Florida gay rights advocacy
people, whose advocates were GOP-led Legislature takes ef- tutional. legislatures and courtrooms group, during a news confer-
especially frustrated that the fect July 1. It says a transgen- but also across the economy, ence. “This is really just to
legislation was signed on the der student athlete can’t par- “This is yet another hate- and critics warned of loom- throw red meat out there to
first day of Pride Month. ticipate without first show- driven attack from the gov- ing consequences. really rally the base of people
ing a birth certificate saying ernor and Republican legis- who are anti-LGBT.”

California firefighters had job dispute before fatal attack

(AP) — A Los Angeles County officials said. torso, authorities said. He had three than a week after a man opened fire
firefighter appeared to have a daughters and had been with the de- with three handguns at the Santa
longstanding job-related dispute Preliminary interviews with other partment for more than 20 years. Clara Valley Transportation Author-
with the colleague he shot and employees at Fire Station 81 indicate ity bus and rail yard in San Jose, kill-
killed at their small, rural fire the shooter and the firefighter who Property records show that fire- ing nine of his co-workers and then
station in what became Califor- was killed had “some workplace fighter Jonathan Tatone owned the himself as law enforcement closed
nia’s second deadly workplace beef,” said Los Angeles County home that burned in the commu- in. He had rigged his home to burn
shooting in less than a week, au- sheriff’s Lt. Brandon Dean, who is nity of Acton, about 10 miles (16 down before heading to his long-
thorities said Wednesday. overseeing the homicide investiga- kilometers) from the fire station. He time workplace last Wednesday.
tion. bought it last July. Tatone is listed
The gunman also wounded a fire as a county firefighter since at least A new FBI report found that Cali-
captain at the station about 45 miles The coroner’s office on Wednesday 2012, according to public payroll fornia had the most mass shooting
(72 kilometers) north of Los An- identified the firefighter who died and pension records kept by Trans- incidents in the last 20 years, align-
geles on Tuesday before setting his as Tory Carlon. The 44-year-old fire parent California. ing with the fact that it’s the nation’s
house on fire in a nearby commu- specialist who drove the firetruck most populous state.
nity and apparently killing himself, was shot several times in the upper Tuesday’s shooting occurred less