Legislation prohibiting biological men from competing in female sports has moved through the Idaho state Senate after it passed in the House earlier this year.
The bill, known as the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, or HB 500, will now head back to the House, where lawmakers will vote on a Senate amendment, and will then be delivered to the desk of Republican Gov. Brad Little.
“We are not trying to do anything except save women’s sports for girls and women,” state Sen. Mary Souza said during the closing debate. “It is in the state’s interest. … There is a third-party group that has been working with us on this bill, and it will be responsible for any legal defense fees.”
“So, is there a problem now?” Souza asked her fellow senators. “Not in Idaho. Although there was a young man on a track team in eastern Idaho who decided a year ago that he wanted to run on the girls team. He was on the boys track team, and he wanted to sign up for the girls track team. And he thought about it, talked to the coach and made a decision not to do that. I don’t know any of the details, but that’s what the outcome was. It’s coming. The issue is in states across the country.”
Idaho would be the first state to sign legislation protecting female sports into law, although other states have introduced and passed similar amendments. The state’s House, Senate, and governorship are all controlled by Republicans.
The move was immediately criticized by some, including Idaho reporter Brian Holmes of KTVB, who linked the vote with the current coronavirus outbreak.
“While we were all wondering how we were going to get by in groups smaller than 10..Idaho’s House of Rep got 70 people in a room to pass HB500..56-13..Idaho is a gov signature away from being 1st state to limit transgender athletes.”
While we were all wondering how we were going to get by in groups smaller than 10..Idaho’s House of Rep got 70 people in a room to pass HB500..56-13..Idaho is a gov signature away from being 1st state to limit transgender athletes..
— KTVB Brian Holmes (@KTVBBrian) March 17, 2020
Holmes later clarified that there was still one more step to be taken before the bill heads to the governor’s desk.
Gay and transgender activist network GLSEN also expressed discontent with the legislation’s advancement.
“This is downright shameful: In the face of a global pandemic, the #Idaho Senate spent yesterday passing a dangerous bill that singles out #transgender students for discrimination,” the group tweeted.
This is downright shameful: In the face of a global pandemic, the #Idaho Senate spent yesterday passing a dangerous bill that singles out #transgender students for discrimination. https://t.co/LY5vOhb5b1 #IDLeg
— GLSEN (@GLSEN) March 17, 2020
Polling conducted last year shows that only 28% of people support letting student-athletes participate in sports based on what they identify as rather than their biological sex.
Female high school runners in Connecticut recently sued the state over its policy of allowing biological men to race against them. The state Republican party honored the girls with a Courage Award shortly after.
