Abbott pursues ban in trans sports
Law ‘prohibiting biological men to compete against women’ in college a priority for GOP
Gov. Greg Abbott wants to ban transgender college students from competing on sports teams that align with their gender identity, adding momentum to a Republican proposal that’s condemned by LGBTQ advocates and progressive groups.
“This next session, we will pass a law prohibiting biological men to compete against women in college sports,” Abbott said in a Saturday interview at the Young America’s Foundation “Freedom Conference” in Dallas.
The Republican governor said he believes “women, and only women, should be competing (against each other) in college or high school sports.”
Transgender K-12 student athletes are already prohibited from competing on teams that don’t associate with their sex at birth, under a measure passed by Republican lawmakers in 2021. The author of that bill, state Rep. Valoree Swanson of Spring, is proposing extending the restriction this session to the college level.
State Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, has introduced a similar measure in the upper chamber.
Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick
has already said he supports the college ban in the Texas Senate, which he oversees. On Monday, he listed it among his 30 top priorities for the session.
Patrick was one of the biggest supporters of the K-12 ban in 2021, repeatedly pushing other GOP leaders to revive it when momentum seemed to be waning. Republicans finally ushered the bill through during a third special session in the fall.
Those pushing the bans argue that transgender people have an unfair advantage when competing against girls and women who are assigned female at birth. They also contend that the bans protect children and college students from physical harm.
Opponents say there are few examples of transgender athletes taking away a spot on a team, a scholarship or any other opportunity from anyone. They have also characterized the bans as bigoted and said they would cause emotional damage toward a group of young people that already faces higher suicide rates.