Florida Gov. DeSantis signed an anti-transgender bill into law on Tuesday, banning transgender girls or trans femme youth from participating in sports in alignment with their gender, making Florida the seventh state to sign anti-trans sports legislation this year.

The Human Rights Campaign has announced their intent to challenge the law in a statement, adding that states that pass anti-transgender legislation suffer economic, legal, reputational harm, and that a wide range of business and advocacy groups, athletes oppose anti-trans legislation.

HRC President Alphonso David said in a statement: “Gov. DeSantis and Florida lawmakers are legislating based on a false, discriminatory premise that puts the safety and well-being of transgender children on the line. Transgender kids are kids; transgender girls are girls. Like all children, they deserve the opportunity to play sports with their friends and be a part of a team. Transgender youth must not be deprived of the opportunity to learn important skills of sportsmanship, healthy competition, and teamwork. The harmful provisions added to SB 1028 will not just impact transgender people in Florida. All Floridians will have to face the consequences of this anti-transgender legislation — including economic harm, expensive taxpayer-funded legal battles, and a tarnished reputation. In Florida, we are ensuring that there are legal consequences to pay for being on the wrong side of history.”

A record number of anti-trans bills have been introduced in the United States legislative sessions this year. From the 117 bills attacking transgender rights, a majority target trans youth’s access to healthcare and sports -- 31 states introduced bills aimed at banning trans athletes from fully participating in sports.

“Sam Brinton, vice president of advocacy and government affairs for The Trevor Project, predicted that laws like Florida’s SB 1028 would exacerbate not only anti-trans violence but also the already high rate of mental health crises among the community,” them. reports.