Bill Banning Trans Athletes In Girls Sports Advances In Utah

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Transgender athletes would be barred from playing on girls’ sports teams under a bill that advanced Thursday in Utah.

The Beehive State was one of more than a dozen states considering similar measures that opponents say would harm trans teenagers.

The lawmaker sponsoring the measure, Republican Rep. Kera Birkeland, said it would ensure fairness in women’s sports by making sure female athletes aren’t competing against those identified as male at birth.

Opponents, though, say it would discriminate against students who are told they can’t play with their peers.

The bill would not block male transgender teens from playing boys’ sports. It would not apply to college sports.