Florida House panel advances transgender bill that would affect girls’ and women’s sports

TALLAHASSEE

Despite impassioned pleas from LGBTQ advocates, a Florida House panel on Wednesday approved a controversial proposal that would ban transgender girls and women from competing in women’s high school and college sports.

The move by the House Secondary Education & Career Development Subcommittee put Florida among the ranks of at least two dozen other Republican-dominated state legislatures that have considered or approved measures requiring student athletes to compete according to their gender at birth.

Bill sponsor Kaylee

Tuck, R-Lake Placid, said the transgender athletic ban is necessary to establish parity for biologically female athletes.

“There are inherent biological differences between men and women. The ‘Fairness in Women Sports Act’ supports women and girls by ensuring they have the same opportunities as men and boys to showcase their skill, strength and other athletic abilities,” Tuck said before the panel’s 13-4 vote in favor of the bill (HB 1475).

But critics of measures targeting transgender student athletes argue the proposals are rooted in fear, misunderstanding and politics.

“This bill would only marginalize and demonize the transgender community. If anything, this bill will create more unfairness, while we are trying to call it the ‘Fairness in Women Sports Act,’ ” Rep. Marie Paule Woodson, D-Hollywood, said. “We have to treat people the way we want to be treated. We need to focus on other matters that are critical to our state, to our youth, to our seniors, to our family.”

Rep. Carlos Guillero Smith, an Orlando Democrat who is gay, is among the LGBTQ activists condemning the legislation.

“It’s motivated by bigotry. It’s motivated by transphobia. And it’s not motivated, certainly, by any problems we’ve had in Florida,” Smith told The News Service of Florida on Wednesday.

Transgender students have openly participated in athletics in Florida since 2012, Smith said.

Facing questions from Democrats on Wednesday, Tuck conceded that Florida does not have any reported complaints about the current process.

“We don’t need to wait until there is a problem to have a policy against it,” she said.