Pennsylvania House Republicans are moving forward with a bill that would not allow transgender athletes to competing on women’s secondary school and college sports teams in the Commonwealth.
Those supporting the Fairness In Women’s Sports Act say transgender females being allowed to compete violates women’s and girls’ rights under Federal Title IX laws that prohibit sex based discrimination those opposed say the transgendered student athletes are the ones whose rights are being discriminated against.
The House Education Committee this Morning voted on a party-line vote to move forward.
It comes as 12 states have passed similar laws, and 21 other states including Pennsylvania are considering them.
Currently the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association leaves decisions about transgender athletes to school principals. The National Collegiate Athletic Association has a sport-by-sport policy that sets transgender participation by the national governing body of that sport, subject to review by an NCAA committee.
Pennsylvania has been at the center of the debate recently, after University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas this month became the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division One Title.
“Our job here is to understand our lane, understand the science, take heed of the experts when they provide expert testimony. All those things happened, they happened here in front of us, and I’m kind of dumbfounded that we’re now advancing this in spite of that.”
“Look, many of us wish we weren’t here, that we weren’t having this particular fight or we didn’t have to engage in this particular issue. But the reality is we do. In today’s day and age, and the circumstances being what they are we need to weigh in on it and that’s why you saw the action that was taken today.”