Indiana Education Committee Passes Bill To Stop Trans Girls Participating In Female Teams

An Indiana bill to ban trans women from participating in female school sports in the state is heading to the full House along with several other bills focused on transgender people.

The bill to ban trans girls from taking part in K-12 school sports was passed by the Indiana House’s education committee on Monday, 24th January, despite testimonies from LGBT groups that opposed the proposal.

Following around three hours of testimonies from opponents, House Bill 1041 was passed and will now head to the full House, where the bill has the full support of the “majority” of House Republicans and is expected to be rubber stamped, according to education committee chairman Bob Behning.

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The bill will prevent biological males who identify as female from taking part in female school sports teams.

The bill is one of several waiting to be rubber stamped by the Indiana House, including Bill 1348, which would stop trans people from using toilets aligned to their identity.

Another proposal would see the state’s health department being allowed to gather data on gender transition procedures.

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Meanwhile, Bill 1399 would ban citizens from changing their gender on their birth certificate.

On Thursday, a bill will be deliberated by the Senate Family and Children Services Committee about parents’ rights to not call their children by the pronoun they wish to be known as. The proposal will clarify in state law that such incidents should not constitute as child abuse or neglect.

However, Kit Malone, advocacy strategist for the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, said: “Even introducing these bills, even bringing these bills up, and then contributing to that sense that trans people have, that their own communities are attacking them and trying to ostracise them, that has a very negative and frightening effect on youth, and we see it every year.”