Mississippi Republican Governor Tate Reeves signed a bill Thursday to ban transgender athletes from girls or women's sports teams in the state's schools and universities.
Mississippi Senate Bill 2536 will be enforced starting July 1 despite the possibility of legal challenges looming.
With Reeves's signing the bill, Mississippi becomes the first state this year to incorporate a ban after a federal court banned Idaho's law last year.
President Joe Biden signed an executive order in January banning discrimination based on gender identity in school sports and elsewhere. The Clarion-Ledger reported Reeves—while signing the bill—credited Biden for the reason he signed the state's bill into law.