Indiana poised to pass ban on transgender collegiate athletes
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Indiana may pass a bill to ban transgender women and girls from playing on women's sports teams at the collegiate level as early as today.
The big picture: The legislation expands the state's existing policy that bans transgender girls from playing girls sports at the K-12 level, which became law in 2022.
- It's aligned with the GOP's official 2024 party platform, which vowed to "keep men out of women's sports." Republican lawmakers have led similar efforts in other states and at the national level.
Catch up quick: President Trump signed an executive order in February barring transgender women and girls from competing in girls' and women's sports, threatening to withhold federal funds for schools that allow trans women or girls to play on female teams.
- That executive order prompted the Indianapolis-based NCAA to update its participation policy for transgender student-athletes, limiting competition in women's sports to those assigned female at birth only, which includes more than 530,000 student-athletes nationwide, per the NCAA.
- Previously, the NCAA policy dictated that transgender athlete participation should follow the guidelines set by the international governing bodies of each sport.
Driving the news: House Bill 1041 prohibits transgender women and girls from playing on post-secondary female sports teams.
- The Indiana Senate could take its final vote on it as soon as this afternoon, and with a Republican supermajority, it is likely to pass.
- It would then be sent to Gov. Mike Braun, who is expected to sign it.
State of play: Earlier this year, Braun issued his own executive order to prohibit transgender women and girls from participating in women's college sports.
- "Title IX has been needlessly complicated by those who have sought to impose their views of gender identity onto education and sports programs," his order said.
Flashback: When lawmakers banned trans girls from playing K-12 girls sports in 2022, then-Gov. Eric Holcomb vetoed the bill.
- The General Assembly overrode Holcomb's veto later that year.
What they're saying: "In reality most transgender youth avoid sports altogether," said Zoe O'Haillin-Berne, director of engagement for Indiana Youth Group, which serves LGBTQ+ young people. "They do this because of the scrutiny and bullying they face on a day-to-day basis."
- "With no evidence of a problem in our state and an executive order already in place, this bill does nothing to address real problems faced by Hoosiers," O'Haillin-Berne told a legislative committee last month.
The other side: Rep. Michelle Davis (R-Whiteland) said she wrote HB 1041 to ensure "a safe and even playing field at the collegiate level" and protect the integrity of women's sports.
Reality check: Very few transgender girls and women play K-12 sports and even fewer at the level of competitive NCAA teams. One researcher estimated there were fewer than 100 transgender women among NCAA athletes nationwide.
Zoom out: The American Civil Liberties Union is tracking more than 80 similar bills in more than two dozen states around the country.
- "While not all of these bills will become law, they all cause harm for LGBTQ people," the ACLU said.