Trans-Athlete Bill Passed Out of House Committee
The Missouri House Committee on General Laws approved a bill Monday that would ban trans women and girls from competing in women’s sports post-season or playoff games.
The bill, dubbed the “Save Women’s Sports Act”, would apply to youth sports as well as high school and collegiate sports.
Representative Bennie Cook of Houston says that he wants to be proactive on the issue.
The ACLU maintains that there is no evidence to suggest the genetic and physical traits of a person’s assigned sex at birth affect athletic performance. The organization has taken a firm stance against an uptick in similar legislation across the country.
Tori Schafer is a spokesperson for the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri. She says the bill is in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. She also says the act’s name is misleading.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 35 bills have been introduced in 31 states this year that would exclude young transgender athletes from participating in sports. The number was 29 bills in 2020 and only two bills in 2019.
The bill was approved by a vote of 8-4 and now moves to the full House.
*submitted by Missouri News Network
