Battle lines are being drawn in the effort to protect the rights of girls and women participating in sports.
The front lines have moved to Ohio, where state legislators have introduced the “Save Women’s Sports Act.”
If passed, this bill will require students to participate on sports teams based on the gender listed on their birth certificate.
This would prevent boys and young men from competing against athletes in girls’ sports.
The athletes would still be eligible to participate in sporting events based on their gender at birth.
See more details below:
This bill would apply to public and private schools in the state of Ohio who are members of state or national athletic associations.
Republican lawmakers insist that the purpose of the bill is to protect women's rights and to provide fairness for women.
This bill is designed to ensure that little girls who work hard to win a sport are not robbed of their victory by biological males competing against biological females in any sport.
The legislators who introduced the bill say that "We want every little girl to achieve her athletic dream here in the state of Ohio."
The Daily Wire has more on the bill and why it was introduced:
Shortly after a high-profile lawsuit was filed in Connecticut against a recent state policy allowing biological males to participate in girls’ sports, legislators in Ohio are taking action to “Save Women’s Sports” from transgender athletes.
In a press release in late-February, the Ohio House of Representatives announced a new bill, the “Save Women’s Sports Act,” proposed by Republican state representatives Jena Powell and Reggie Stoltzfus that “seeks to promote fairness to all and preserve the integrity of school sports” by keeping biological males out of female athletic events.
“The Save Women’s Sports Act ensures that women are not forced to compete against men playing on women’s sports teams,” reads the release. “The bill would designate male and female sports teams be based upon the biological sex of an individual, meaning that biological males cannot play on female teams.”
The legislation would apply to all public schools and private schools that are members of state or national athletic associations.
“The Save Women’s Sports Act is a fairness issue for women,” Powell said at a February 25 press conference announcing the bill. “This bill ensures that every little girl who works hard to make it on a podium is not robbed of her chance by a biological male competing against her in a biological female sport. We want every little girl to achieve her athletic dream here in the state of Ohio.”
The bill comes at a time when the issue of gender neutral bathrooms and children's toys are dominating the political conversation.
However, many parents are concerned about the safety and well-being of their chidlren.
Bills like this are designed to protect children and provide fairness for all those involved.
Ohio isn't the only state drawing lines in the sand when it comes to biological born males participating in girls' sports.
Large bodies of scientific research show that females naturally perform slower than men.
It's not an issue of physical training or hard work.
Rather, the physiological differences between male and female genetics create a discrepancy in athletic performance.
Republican legislators cited this science when introducing the bill, the USA Today confirmed:
“This is not about women trying harder or training more,” said Rachel Citak, who serves as legal counsel for a Columbus-based conservative group called Citizens for Community Values. “No matter how hard we train, women perform 10% slower across the board. That’s our physiological, biological reality.”
Ohio isn’t the only state rethinking its rules on transgender athletes. Washington, Missouri, Georgia and Tennessee are also debating bills to require every student play on teams matching their gender assigned at birth.
Neither Powell nor her co-sponsor, Rep. Reggie Stoltzfus, R-Paris Township, knew of an Ohio case similar to the one in Connecticut. But they were adamant that’s why their bill should be passed as soon as possible.
“The fact remains that one girl losing a spot to a male is one too many,” Stolzfus said. “It’s unfair.”
The announcement comes after another state, Georgia, is debating a bill that would make child transgender surgeries and puberty-blocking drugs illegal.
Will more states follow their lead?
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