Ft Worth Times

Gov. Greg Abbott recently signed the Save Women’s Sports Act at the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame, highlighting its role in protecting fair competition and preserving the legacy of women's sports for generations to come, with the support of former NCAA athletes and advocates. In a press release, the governor affirmed that all athletes at Texas universities must compete on teams corresponding to the student's biological sex at birth.

"The legacy of women’s sports will now be safeguarded for generations to come," Abbott said. "We gather today at the Texas Women's Hall of Fame, which was founded in 1984 by the Texas Governor's Commission for Women to recognize women who have attained extraordinary achievements and ensure those achievements and contributions are written into our state's legacy."

The Save Women's Sports Act, also known as Senate Bill 15, ensures fairness by preventing a biological male from participating in college athletic competitions in Texas that are designated for biological female athletes. The bill also establishes a process for individuals to pursue measures against a Texas public college or university, as well as intercollegiate athletic teams, in case they violate the stipulations in the bill. The bill will go into effect on Sept. 1. Private colleges and universities in Texas have the option to adhere to the new state law, but it is not obligatory for them to do so.

In 2021, Abbott signed a similar law to protect girls' sports in Texas public schools. This bill expands on Abbott's commitment to ensuring the integrity of women's sports. Abbott signed House Bill 25 into law, which mandated that student-athletes participating in interscholastic competitions join sports teams aligning with the gender specified on their birth certificate recorded around the time of their birth. The governor pledged to vigorously uphold and defend the legislation in the face of any legal challenges.

The governor was accompanied by former NCAA athletes, along with Riley Gaines and Paula Scanlan, spokeswomen for Independent Women's Voice, along with a group of 12 other female athletes. Together, they commemorated this significant legislation aimed at preserving the integrity of equitable competition in women's sports. Paula Scanlon, a former swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania, shared the same team with the well-known transgender swimmer, Lia Thomas.

Protestors gathered outside Texas Woman's University to address Abbott. Many in the group protesting shared that Republicans at the Capitol are targeting members of LGBT community, CBS News reported.