On Tuesday, the GOP-led Indiana Senate sent a bill to Governor Eric Holcomb that, if signed, would limit the state’s male-born students to participating only in sports that correspond to their biological sex.
The bill would ban male students from choosing the sports that match their “gender identity,” but it would not ban all students who claim to be transgender from playing sports in the state’s schools, the Associated Press reported.
Indeed, the bill only limits students who were born male but claim to be females from joining women’s teams. It does not contain any limitations on students born female but who claims to be a transgender man.
The bill passed the state senate by a 32-18 margin, with eleven Democrats and seven Republicans voting against the ban.
(Transgender Swimmer Lia Thomas at Ivy League Championships (Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
Gov. Holcomb has not made any statements about the senate’s current bill, but in the past has said he “adamantly” agrees that “boys should be playing boys sports and girls should be playing girls sports, and mixed sports should be just that.” Still, he has said he wants to see a final bill before commenting on specifics.
According to the state’s athletic association, only one transgender student has applied to join a school team.
Bill sponsor Sen. Stacey Donato (R) defended the bill saying, “Whether there is one or 100 cases (of transgender students participating in school sports) … all students will be able to play sports. They simply have to compete with peers of the same biological sex.”
(AP Photo/Pat Eaton-Robb)
A spokesperson for Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita also noted that the AG’s office is prepared to defend the law in court if Gov. Holcomb signs it into law. Spokesperson Corrine Youngs added that the bill protects “the amazing progress made for women” in sports.
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