Carter White, MTN Reporter
February 10th, 2021
On Tuesday, Tennessee lawmakers advanced legislation that prohibits transgender girls from playing middle and high school sports. Opponents feared that the proposal will invite future legal challenges if it is signed into law.
Republican House members provided enthusiastic support for the proposal during the initial hearing on Tuesday. This means that Tennessee is among the dozens of states that are supporting restrictions on athletics or gender-confirming health care for trans minors this year.
Rep. Michelle Carringer stated “If we as a state of Tennessee are afraid of ever making a difference because we might be sued some day, then we should all pack our bags and go home.”
Shortly after, Carringer voted in favor of the bill. The bill would require student athletes to provide proof that the student’s sex matches the student’s “original” birth certificate in order to participate in public high school sports. If a birth certificate is unavailable, the parents must provide another form of evidence “indicating the student’s sex at the time of birth.”
People who support the bill argue that transgender girls are naturally bigger, faster, and stronger because they were born male, therefore, giving them an unfair advantage in athletics.
Opponents of the measure argue that such proposals violate Title Nine prohibiting sex discrimination, as well as rulings by the Supreme Court. Others point out that it also defies an executive order signed by President Joe Biden that prohibited discrimination based on gender identity in school sports and elsewhere.
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