Students in Des Moines walk out in protest of Iowa's new law banning transgender girls in sports - KCCI Des Moines

DES MOINES, Iowa —

More than 100 students at Central Academy walked out Friday afternoon in protest of the state's new law banning transgender girls from participating in girls' sports at the K-12 and college levels.

The students marched several blocks up Grand Avenue to the Governor's Mansion, chanting and holding signs supporting transgender rights.

"I'm very sad to see that our Gov. Kim Reynolds signed that bill," said Esra Noor, one of the students on the march. "It's just devastating to know that people don't support that."

Reynolds signed the bill into law last week. The law requires schools to designate all sponsored or sanctioned athletic events as men's, women's or co-education sports. Athletes could only play on women's sports teams if their sex is listed as female on their original birth certificate.

The law applies to public and nonpublic schools, community colleges, private colleges, Board of Regents institutions and any institution that is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics or National Junior College Athletic Association. It would not apply to non-school sponsored or sanction club sports.

The governor called the law a "victory for girls sports in Iowa." But the students used the walkout to highlight their views on transgender rights.

"I wanted to show that it's wrong," said Kira Winters, one of the students on the march. "All people of all races, ethnicities, sexualities and genders deserve rights."

Des Moines Public Schools says it supports students' right to free speech, but it counts absences for those who missed class.

source: https://www.kcci.com/article/des-moines-students-walk-out-in-protest-of-iowas-new-law-banning-transgender-girls-in-sports/39414232

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