Tennessee bans transgender athletes from girls sports

Tennessee’s Republican Gov. Bill Lee recently signed a bill into law that effectively penalizes schools that refuse to follow the state’s rules regarding gender in athletic competitions.

The bill, which is set to take effect on July 1, stipulates that the Tennessee Department of Education could withhold state funds from school districts that do not verify the sex of student athletes before they participate in middle school of high school sports, the AP reported.  

Lee signed a similar bill last year which was established to “preserve women’s athletics and ensure fair competition” by separating sports by biological sex determined at birth.”

The controversial measure further mandated that students prove their sex is the same as what was assigned on their “original” birth certificate. If a student cannot provide the required documentations, parents would have to provide an alternative form of evidence “indicating the student’s sex at the time of birth.”

According to the bill’s text, “it is unfortunate for some girls that those dreams, goals, and opportunities for participation, recruitment, and scholarships.” The legislation further stated that female sports can be negatively impacted by new initiatives at schools that permit “boys who are male in every biological respect to compete in girls’ athletic competitions if they claim a female gender identity.”

Although last year’s law is currently in effect, it is being challenged in court with a trial tentatively scheduled for March 2023.

“I signed the bill to preserve women’s athletics and ensure fair competition,” Lee tweeted last year. “This legislation responds to damaging federal policies that stand in opposition to the years of progress made under Title IX and I commend members of the General Assembly for their bipartisan work.”

Although Lee’s legislation has been met with firm opposition from progressives, similar bills have been passed in several states in recent months. In some of those states, however, governors have moved to block the laws from taking effect.

In Kentucky, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear vetoed legislation that banned biological males from competing in female sports from 6th to 12th grades and at the collegiate level, the Daily Wire reported. The state’s GOP-led legislature overrode the Governor’s veto, however, and now student athletes in Kentucky must compete in competitions that correspond with their sex assigned at birth.

Similarly, Indiana’s Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb vetoed a bill that would have effectively blocked biological males from participating in female sports.

In a letter to Indiana’s Republican state Speaker Todd Huston, the governor warned the bill could increase “the likelihood of litigation against our schools with the courts having to adjudicate the uncertainties.”

“In the two cases with initial rulings thus far, the courts have enjoined or prohibited laws with these same substantive provisions from taking effect based on equal protections grounds,” Holcomb added. 

The governor further warned that passing the bill “implies that the goals of consistency and fairness in competitive female sports are not currently being met. After thorough review, I find no evidence to support either claim even if I support the overall goal.”