WASHINGTON — Today, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) signed legislation prohibiting biological males from competing in state-sponsored female athletics from middle school to college. This makes Florida the eighth state to enact new laws protecting the integrity of women’s sports.

American Principles Project president Terry Schilling was honored to join Gov. DeSantis at the bill signing event in Jacksonville. Schilling also released the following statement thanking the governor for his leadership:

“In acting to defend women’s sports in Florida today, Governor Ron DeSantis has solidified his reputation as a fearless conservative who will face down attacks from the woke elite in order to do what’s right for his constituents. This is exactly the quality which voters are so desperately looking for in their national leadership.

“This is also a watershed moment for the movement to protect women’s sports. When we began working on this issue over two years ago, very few Republicans were interested in standing up for female athletes. Many were fearful of the boycott threats from woke corporations and bad publicity from the leftist-dominated media.

“But by joining Florida to a growing coalition of states that are moving to explicitly protect a fair playing field for female athletes, Gov. DeSantis has sent a message to the woke elite: attack us at your peril. While economic boycott threats might have worked against a single state, the strength of many state leaders standing together to defend women’s sports is certain to neutralize the left’s favorite playbook.

“The momentum has shifted, and our movement is winning. We commend Gov. DeSantis for his important leadership on this issue, and we look forward to continuing to work with political leaders in other states and Washington DC to further our incredible progress toward ensuring fair and equal opportunities for female athletes nationwide.”

To schedule an interview with an APP policy expert, contact Paul Dupont at (o) 202-503-2010 or pdupont@americanprinciplesproject.org.