COLOMBIA, SC (AP) – Members of the Chamber spent more than an hour on Tuesday listening to testimonies about a bill in South Carolina that would prevent transgender students from playing on women’s sports teams in elementary and high school.
It was not enough time to hear from everyone, so the House subcommittee did not vote on the bill.
Representative Ashley Trantham sponsored the proposal. She said that there were still no complaints from transgender students playing on women’s teams, but her intention was to prevent this from happening before it could become a problem.
“The next generation of female athletes in South Carolina may not have a chance to stand out in those same sports,” said Republic of Pelzer.
All athletes in South Carolina would have to play on teams based on their “biological sex” listed on their birth certificates. More than a dozen other states are considering similar bills. Idaho approved a proposal, which was suspended in the courts.
The bill is “unnecessary, unworkable and dangerous,” said Chase Glenn of the Alliance for Full Acceptance.
Glenn said there is no evidence that a transgender student would have an unfair physical advantage. Opponents said there are many other things that decide athletic advantage, such as eye-hand coordination, practice and innate talent, as opposed to hormones and physical differences.
In order to play on a sports team, transgender students may be required to expose themselves, which is also unfair, said Glenn.
Proposals in South Carolina and other states emerge as an increasing number of state high school athletic associations in the US allow transgender athletes to play in teams based on their gender identity, and the NCAA has transinclusive guidelines for all member schools.