Senate upholds chair's ruling; proposed amendment to bar transgender athletes from girls' school sports remains out of order

Albany — A proposed floor amendment to bar biological males from competing in girls’ school sports was ruled non‑germane by the chair during the New York State Senate session on June 4, 2025, and an appeal to overturn that ruling did not overturn the decision. The amendment therefore remained out of order and was not added to the bill on the floor.

Senator Wike offered the amendment while the Senate was considering a bill that sponsors described as addressing discrimination and campus hate reporting. Wike argued the amendment was germane because it would address protections in school sports for females and cited Title IX and concerns about safety and fairness. "Women have been fighting for equal opportunity in sports for decades," Wike said during floor remarks advocating for the change.

Senator Stavisky opposed the amendment, saying the measure before the Senate addressed Title VI civil‑rights reporting requirements and campus hate incidents and that the amendment dealt with grades 7–12 and a different policy area. "This legislation expands pathways for students to report incidents and does not deal with any one issue," Stavisky said.

The chair ruled the amendment non‑germane and out of order. Senator Wike appealed the ruling; the Senate considered the appeal and did not overturn the chair’s decision, leaving the chair’s ruling intact and the amendment excluded. The underlying bill then proceeded to a vote and was passed later in the session.

The floor exchange underscored tensions among senators about how and when to consider proposed limitations on participation in school sports for transgender students. Supporters of the amendment framed it as protecting women’s sports; opponents said it was not procedurally appropriate to attach that language to the bill under consideration and raised concerns about broader implications and context.