A Texas bill that would have mandated transgender student-athletes play on sports teams based on their sex at birth ran out of time Tuesday night for consideration during this year’s legislative session.
The bill’s backers argued the legislation was needed to protect the integrity and fairness of girls’ sports and that allowing transgender girls to play on school sports teams gave them an unfair advantage because they have higher levels of testosterone.
LGBTQ advocates countered that the legislation was harmful and discriminatory against transgender teenagers.
“We woke up this morning determined to kill that bill,” Rep. Julie Johnson, a Democrat from Carrollton, told the Dallas Morning News. “I am really pleased and so grateful that we were able to deliver this win for the children of Texas and their rights to live full and happy lives, free from discrimination.”
The bill, which was elevated by Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick as one of his top priorities, was among a group of Texas bills aimed at transgender people during the current legislative session and was the latest to miss a crucial House deadline that needed to be met before it could advance, be signed by the governor, and become law.
No legislative measure can be considered dead, though, until the session ends Monday.
Patrick has vowed to keep fighting.
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On Wednesday, he tweeted that he would be asking Gov. Greg Abbott to bring lawmakers back in June for a special session to reconsider the bill.
“Asking @GregAbbot_TX to call a June #SpecialSession today to pass #SB29 to save girls sports, #SB10 to end taxpayer funded lobbying and #SB12 to stop social media censorship. The TxHouse killed these conservative bills that majority of Texans in both parties support.”
