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Calif. bans travel to Idaho over prohibition on boys competing in girls' sports, birth certificate rules
Protesters gather at the Idaho Capitol in Boise to oppose House Bill 500, which prohibits biological men from competing in women's sports statewide. (Katherine Jones/Idaho Statesman/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

California bans travel to Idaho over prohibition on boys competing in girls' sports and new birth certificate rules

Idahoans are probably celebrating

If you've ever spent time in Idaho — especially the Treasure Valley — you've likely heard citizens there lament the massive influx of Californians to their conservative state. There's a familiar refrain that SoCal hippies are going to destroy Idahoans' way of life.

So the latest declaration from California Attorney General Xavier Becerra banning publicly funded trips to Idaho probably did not cause great consternation among the people of the Gem State.

What's this ban?

Becerra announced in a news release from his office Monday that the state will ban government-funded trips to Idaho beginning July 1 because of two new laws that "directly authorize discrimination against the transgender community."

He was referring to Idaho's House Bill 500 and House Bill 509.

House Bill 500, which goes into effect July 1, prohibits biological men from competing in women's school sports statewide.

The law, signed in March, says, "Athletic teams or sports designated for females, women, or girls shall not be open to students of the male sex." And it offers specific criteria for determining sex: "[A] student may establish sex by presenting a signed physician's statement that shall indicate the student's sex-based solely on: (a) The student's internal and external reproductive anatomy; (b) The student's normal endogenously produced levels of testosterone; and (c) An analysis of the student's genetic makeup."

It also permits testing of students to ensure that they meet the standards of biologically female athletes.

House Bill 509 blocks transgender Idahoans from changing the sex listed on their birth certificates.

The law, also set to take effect July 1, states that "the purpose of documenting factual information on vital records is to help the government fulfill one of its most basic duties: protecting the health and safety of its citizens," and adds that "allowing individuals to alter their vital records, including birth certificates, based upon subjective feelings or experiences undermines the government's interest in having accurate vital records."

Becerra's move this week is based on California AB 1887, which bans "state-funded travel to states with laws that authorize or require discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression." The ban applies to all California state agencies, departments, boards, authorities and commissions. It also applies to the state's public university system, which would impact travel for college sporting events in Idaho.

What was the reaction in Idaho?

The Family Policy Alliance of Idaho blasted California's move.

Blaine Conzatti, the organization's director of advocacy, said in a statement, "Title IX was designed to protect women's opportunities, and one of the key ways it's been used to accomplish that is through giving women their own sports teams. The Fairness in Women's Sports Act protects the spirit of Title IX by ensuring that girls' sports are reserved for girls."

"Girls deserve fair play and equal opportunities in sports today just as much as they did in 1972 when Title IX was implemented. California liberals and the ACLU are sending the message that female athletes who don't want to compete against biological men are 'bigoted' and 'intolerant,'" she continued. "In reality, they just want to compete in sports on a level playing field. This gaslighting of Idaho girls needs to stop. There is nothing discriminatory about laws that protect fair play and equal opportunities for female athletes."

(H/T: The Christian Post)

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