Lawmakers in Indiana, home of NCAA HQ, look to expand transgender sports ban to include college programs
Indiana lawmakers are looking to go the extra mile in their efforts to keep biological male athletes in boys' and men's sports.
The state's current law, introduced in 2022, prohibits those born male at birth from playing against girls from kindergarten through high school. This week, Republican lawmakers Michelle Davis, Chris Jeter, Joanna King, and Robert Heaton filed a bill that would expand the ban to college teams.
"To ensure a level playing field, it's important that girls compete against girls, and boys against boys," Davis wrote in a statement to the Indy Star. "As a mother and legislator, I authored this bill because I've heard directly from Hoosier parents who want to ensure female athletes have a fair shot at competing and earning recognition."
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Indianapolis, the state's capital, is also where the NCAA's headquarters are located.
The law would also require out-of-state teams with a transgender athlete to notify their opposing Indiana school of said athlete at least 60 days in advance. Athletes will also be able to file lawsuits against their school if they feel they had an opportunity taken from them or were injured as a result of a potential violation of the law.
Jeter, one of the co-authors, said the bill is intended to "protect women's sports in Indiana."
Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb vetoed the original bill nearly three years ago, but the Indiana General Assembly overturned that decision. Holcomb, a Republican, is leaving office later this month due to term limits, and fellow Republican Mike Braun will succeed him.
Two months after Holcomb vetoed the bill, a federal judge in the state ruled that a transgender student must be allowed to use the boys' restroom at a middle school in the state.
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Last month, NCAA president Charlie Baker sent a message to women's college athletes who are uncomfortable sharing locker rooms with transgender athletes, putting the responsibility for their own safety squarely on the women themselves.
During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing over legalized sports gambling, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., questioned Baker about the NCAA's policies that have allowed trans athletes to compete on women's teams. Hawley confronted Baker about the NCAA policy stating that "transgender student athletes should be able to use the locker room, shower and toilet facilities in accordance with their gender identity."
Baker, the former Republican governor of Massachusetts, responded by insisting other athletes have the option to find other accommodations if they are uncomfortable with it.
The NCAA saw a controversy that swept the nation, as trans volleyball player Blaire Fleming helped San Jose State University to the Mountain West championship match.
Fox News' Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
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