Kentucky Senate panel advances ban on transgender athletes

The measure moves on to the GOP-dominated full Senate next.

February 10, 2022

Steve Rogers,

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky Senate committee advanced a bill Thursday that would bar transgender girls from participating in school sports that match their gender identity.

The Republican-led Senate Education Committee approved the measure after hearing impassioned pleas from transgender girls and their parents not to take the action.

The measure moves on to the GOP-dominated full Senate next.

The bill would apply to K-12 sports, but its lead sponsor focused on high school athletics, saying it would ensure that girls compete against other “biological females.”

“It would be crushing for a young lady to train her whole career to have it end up competing against a biological male in the state tournament or state finals,” Republican Sen. Robby Mills said.

Opponents said the bill’s restrictions are unconstitutional. Chris Hartman, executive director of the Fairness Campaign, said transgender children don’t deserve “this level of unfair scrutiny and debate over whether or not they should be able to play with their friends and be included in school life.”

The committee heard firsthand accounts from a young transgender girl about how important playing field hockey is in her life. Her mother said her daughter enjoyed the same benefits as her teammates, forming friendships, learning teamwork and building character through hard work.

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The legislation is Senate Bill 83.