Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Thursday signed a law banning transgender college athletes in the state from competing as the gender they identify with, meaning they must compete as the gender listed on their certificate of birth.
The new law, which takes effect Sept. 1, expands a 2021 bill that barred transgender students in public schools from participating in sports that align with their gender identity.
Abbott said the new law, called the Save Women’s Sports Act, “protects young women” at Texas colleges and universities by prohibiting biological men from competing against them in varsity sports.
But critics have called the bill a “damaging attack” on the right of transgender Texans to be “embraced, accepted and able to thrive” in college and college.
The law will allow students to sue institutions that allow transgender athletes to compete on teams that match the gender they identify with.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a law (pictured) on Thursday that bars transgender college athletes in the state from competing as the gender they identify with, meaning they must compete as gender listed on their birth certificate.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott waves Senate Bill 15 after signing it during a bill signing ceremony at the Texas Capitol on Thursday
Abbot said at the signing ceremony on Thursday: “Women’s sports are under threat.” Some women are forced to compete with biological men.
“The Save Women’s Sports Act protects young women in Texas colleges and universities by prohibiting men from competing as a team or as an individual against them in varsity sports,” Abbott added in a statement.
“Sport has inspired many women to express bold visions and dream of what they want to achieve. The legacy of women’s sport will be preserved for generations to come.
“The women of Texas can be assured that the integrity of their sports will be protected in our state.”
However, the bill would not only prevent trans girls from competing alongside cisgender girls, but would also require trans men to compete against cisgender women, even though some may have already started hormone replacement therapy with testosterone.
Cisgender refers to a person who continues to identify with the gender they were born into.
Such was the case of Trinity High School wrestler, Mack Beggs, now 22 years old. The transgender boy dominated the media and the carpet in 2017 and 2018 when he won state titles in women’s wrestling because the Varsity Interscholastic League banned him from competing with other boys.
While supporters say transgender women have an unfair advantage in the competition, opponents say the bills aim to shame transgender people and are rooted in discrimination and politics.
“SB 15 is another harmful attack by anti-LGBTQ lawmakers on the right of transgender Texans to be embraced, accepted, and able to thrive – especially in Texas’ public universities and colleges,” said Marti Bier of the Texas Freedom Network. .
Texas was home to Mack Beggs, a trans boy who won multiple state championships after being forced to compete against girls
“This bill would blatantly invalidate trans experiences by forcing trans college athletes to compete on teams that don’t match their gender identity,” Bier said.
Abbott’s bill is part of a wave of restrictions on transgender people participating in school or college sports. At least 20 states have now imposed restrictions on transgender athletes at the K-12 or college level, or both.
Last month, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed a law banning transgender women from playing on women’s college sports teams.
The legislation expanded the state’s existing 2021 ban on transgender athletes on K-12 sports teams to include varsity teams. Students assigned a sex at birth would be prohibited from performing under a different gender identity, even after undergoing hormone treatment.
“Look, if you’re a biological male, you’re not going to participate in women’s and women’s sports in Alabama. It’s a matter of fairness, plain and simple,’ Ivey said in a statement.
Abbott’s new law comes after the governor signed another law earlier this month that bans transgender health care, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy for minors, making Texas the largest of the 20 states to have banned gender-affirming care.
Republican lawmakers across the country have promoted similar bills, saying they are wary of the consensus among major medical associations that endorses gender-affirming care as needed and even life-saving for trans youth after an assessment thorough.
Texas, the second most populous U.S. state, has about 29,800 transgender youth between the ages of 13 and 17, according to the Williams Institute of UCLA.
Texas law creates exceptions for minors who started treatment before June 1 or for those who attended 12 or more sessions of mental health counseling or psychotherapy for at least six months.
But those patients “must wean off the prescription drug over a period of time,” the law says.
Proponents of these laws say the government must intervene against the wishes of parents and doctors because they fear it will cause irreparable harm and say children are unable to access such decisions.
Groups such as the American Medical Association, American Psychological Association and American Academy of Pediatrics oppose the legislation.
