Wisconsin Assembly to vote on transgender sports bans
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Assembly planned to vote Wednesday on bills banning transgender athletes from participating in girls' and women's sports — measures that are being debated in the middle of gay pride month and are all-but certain to be headed for a veto by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.
Even though they are unlikely to become law, the Assembly has scheduled five hours of debate on the measures, which opponents say are discriminatory and unnecessary. They must also pass the Senate before going to Evers, who has repeatedly said he stands with transgender students.
Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos defended taking up the measures despite the likelihood of a veto, saying the GOP was responding to calls from constituents to take action.
“I hope there is the public outcry that we’ve been hearing," Vos said, describing his hope that Evers would ultimately sign the measures.
The bills' sponsor, Republican Rep. Barbara Dittrich, said she introduced the measures because “women in Wisconsin are not having their voice heard on this.”
“These bills seek to protect those women and create space that’s inclusive for all with male, female and coed sports," she said before debate began.
More than 30 groups opposed the measures at public hearings last month. Supporters, including female athletes and representatives from national groups pushing similar laws in other states, argued that the sanctity of girls’ and women’s sports was at stake.
Opponents include the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association, which regulates high school sports, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the statewide teachers union, the American Civil Liberties Union, the State Bar of Wisconsin’s civil rights and liberties section, the LGBTQ advocacy group Fair Wisconsin, Planned Parenthood and the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
The proposals are part of a nationwide movement targeting transgender people, particularly athletes.
Democratic Minority Leader Gordon Hintz called it a “culture war” issue that undermines the health and well-being of children.
“The fact that we’re voting on them on the floor shows just how far and how endless the bottom seems to be,” Hintz said before debate began.
Lawmakers in more than 30 states, mostly Republican controlled, have considered sports participation bans, and they’ve become law in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, Montana and West Virginia after Idaho enacted one last year. Other states, including Kansas and North Dakota, passed bans only to have them vetoed by the governor.
The Wisconsin bills would allow students to join teams only that correspond to their biological sex as assigned by a doctor at birth, unless the sport is classified as “coed.” It would apply to public and private schools, as well as the University of Wisconsin and technical colleges.
Supporters argue that transgender girls have an unfair physical advantage, and that passing the bill would ensure that girls have a level playing field while preserving competitive achievements and scholarships.
A federal court blocked enforcement of the law in Idaho. In Connecticut, several girls are challenging a state law that allows transgender athletes to participate in female sports.
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Associated Press writer Todd Richmond contributed to this story.
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