A bill that would have barred biological men from playing on women’s sports teams in Ohio failed to pass in the state General Assembly last Thursday.
The amended bill, which passed the state Senate 23-7 before narrowly losing in the state house, also would have given the governor greater power over the state Department of Education and prohibited discrimination against students based on their vaccination status against COVID-19.
Republican state representative Jena Powell introduced the transgender student-athlete amendment to the bill, which was originally intended to address Ohio’s Teacher Residency Program.
The amendment stated that no school or athletic conference “shall permit male persons to participate on athletic teams or in athletic contests designated only for female participants.”
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A group of people protest in front of the Ohio Capitol in Columbus, Ohio.
(Reuters/Seth Herald)
A provision in the bill that would have required students to undergo “internal and external” tests to determine their biological sex was removed from the bill earlier this month. Also removed was a later provision that would have required student-athletes whose “sex is in dispute” to prove their biological sex with a birth certificate.
Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, while expressing support for the education oversight review, previously expressed his opinion that Ohio lawmakers should not address the issue of transgender students in sports.
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“This issue is best addressed outside of government through individual sports leagues and athletic associations, including the Ohio High School Athletic Association, which can tailor policies to meet the needs of its member athletes and institutions,” DeWine said.
Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine speaks during a press conference, June 2, 2022, in Avon Lake, Ohio.
(AP Photo/David Richard)
The Ohio High School Athletic Association has said there is no evidence that biological men who identify as transgender pose a problem and that there are few transgender student-athletes in the state.
There have been 15 transgender student-athletes in Ohio since the 2015-2016 school year, with seven transgender women in high school sports and eight transgender women at the seventh and eighth grade level, according to the association.
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Despite the bill’s failure, it could be resumed in some form during the next legislative session, when Republicans will have a stronger majority in the state House of Representatives. Republicans currently hold 64 of the House’s 99 seats and will get three more next year.
Several states have banned transgender student athletes from participating in teams that align with their gender identity.
(AP Photo/Samuel Metz, File)
Addressing the issue of biological men competing in women’s sports has been high on the agenda of Republican state legislatures across the country.
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