DES MOINES, IOWA (March 3, 2022) — Governor Kim Reynolds today signed HF2416 into law protecting girls’ sports programs at all school levels, including high-school and collegiate levels in Iowa. The bill allows participation in sports based upon the biological sex listed on the athlete’s birth certificate.
“This is a victory for girls’ sports in Iowa. No amount of talent, training or effort can make up for the natural physical advantages males have over females. It’s simply a reality of human biology,” said Gov Reynolds. “Forcing females to compete against males is the opposite of inclusivity and it’s absolutely unfair.”
This bill requires schools at all levels to designate sporting events as male, female, or co-ed. Only students who are female according to their birth certificate will be eligible to compete in girls’ sports. No student will be prevented from playing a sport that matches his or her biological sex, or a sport designated as co-ed.
