A Republican lawmaker introduced legislation Monday that would ban trans students from participating on girls’ sports teams.
The measure faces significant barriers in the California Legislature, where Democrats hold a supermajority, but it ensures the issue will continue to dominate public debate in a state that has sought to position itself as a champion for transgender rights.
The bill, which Assembly Member Kate Sanchez, R-Rancho Santa Margarita (Orange County), is dubbing the Protect Girls’ Sports Act, would require the California Interscholastic Federation and other organizations regulating high school sports to enact rules “ensuring that only individuals assigned female at birth are permitted to participate in female sports,” Sanchez’s office said in a statement.
The bill comes amid several ongoing legal battles involving transgender students and athletes in California and beyond.
The San Jose State women’s volleyball team has come under a harsh spotlight after one team member joined a lawsuit seeking to ban trans women from competing on NCAA women’s sports teams.