Transgender recognition would be blocked under Mississippi bill defining sex as ‘man’ or ‘woman’

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Sex would be defined as binary under a bill passed Wednesday by Mississippi House lawmakers following the lead of Republican-controlled legislatures around the country that are aiming to restrict the legal recognition of transgender identities.

Republican Rep. Dana McLean’s bill defines “woman,” “man,” “mother,” father,” “female,” “male” and “sex.” The definitions all support the idea that sex is defined at birth, and the bill states that “there are only two sexes, and every individual is either male or female.” If the Senate approves the bill and it is signed by the governor, those definitions will be codified into state law.

“Once it comes to the way the statutes are interpreted, we’re going to go based on biological at birth,” said Republican Rep. Joey Hood, who presented the bill on the House floor. “There’s no penalty if someone wants to identify one way. We’re just doing this to give meaning to the words in our statute.”

The bill specifies that a “person’s biological sex, either male or female, as observed or clinically verified at birth” is different from “gender identity or other terms intended to convey a person’s subjective sense of self.” It says that sex-based legal distinctions are in jeopardy and that such distinctions are necessary for safety, fairness and privacy reasons.

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