West Virginia Governor Endorses 'Women's Bill Of Rights' To Protect Women's Sports With Riley Gaines By His Side

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice formally endorsed the Women's Bill of Rights for the Mountain State on Monday morning during an exclusive on Fox News. OutKick's Riley Gaines proudly sat next to Gov. Justice as he outlined the bill that would make women's sports exclusive to females.

The new legislation, if passed and signed into law, would define sex-based terms used in state law, protect single-sex spaces, and ensure the accuracy of public data collection. The bill would specifically establish that there are only two sexes, male and female, and keep transgender athletes (biological men) from infiltrating women's sports and women's spaces.

"I think it's necessary, and unfortunately I think it's urgent, that we get this done not just here in West Virginia but across the nation," Gaines stated. "We've seen incredible leadership from Governor Stitt of Oklahoma, Governor Pillen of Nebraska, and Governor Lee of Tennessee sign this into effect and with the leadership of Governor Justice here in West Virginia it's really setting the precedent for the rest of the states and the nation.

The bill, which was modeled after legislation drafted by the women's advocacy group Independent Women's Voice, specifically defines certain terms including woman, man, girl, boy, mother, and father.

"A "woman" is an adult human of the female sex, and a "man" is an adult human of the male sex," the bill reads in part. "A "female,” when used in reference to a natural person, is an individual who has, had, will have, or would have (but for a developmental anomaly, genetic anomaly, or accident) the
reproductive system that at some point produces ova."

READ: NCAA PRESIDENT FINALLY ANSWERS QUESTIONS ABOUT RILEY GAINES’ CAMPAIGN VS. TRANSGENDERS IN WOMEN’S SPORTS

It's astounding basic terms like these have to be described in law and re-introduced in new bills, but that is the world we're living in in the year 2024.

West Virginia is one of 24 states that has restricted transgender participation in youth sports.

Written by

Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.