Joining a handful of other states who have prioritized legislating trans girls and trans out of girls’ sports, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican, recently signed an exclusionary bill into law. This law, like a growing number of legislation across the nation, aims to keep trans girls out of sports for girls. During a Friday morning interview with MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle, however, the governor was unable to reference any specific example of transgender athletes in his state trying to get an unfair advantage in girls’ sports. The governor also suggested there are only twelve “transgender-type” kids in his entire state.
"Can you give me one example of a transgender child trying to get an unfair advantage, just one, in your state?” Ruhle asked Justice. She added, “You signed a bill about it.” Surprising no one, Justice could not give even one example, which has been a consistent response to this question when asked of elected officials across the country. Why? Because this is not a real issue—it’s a hateful distraction. Let’s check out the rest of the interview, and the video clip, below.
