Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Sports Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
House approves ban on male-born students competing on college women’s teams after hours of floor debate
Summary
The House passed House Bill 10‑41, which requires institutions to designate teams by sex assigned at birth and allows grievance and civil remedies; the measure drew extensive floor debate and passed on a recorded vote.
House Bill 10‑41, concerning sex-designation for collegiate athletic teams, passed the Indiana House following extended argument on both sides about fairness, safety and the law’s effects on transgender students.
Representative Davis, the bill’s sponsor, told the chamber the measure "ensures that female collegiate athletes in Indiana are provided with a safe and even playing field." Davis said the proposal would require state and private postsecondary institutions to designate teams as male, female or coeducational and prohibit students whose sex was listed as male at birth from participating on teams designated for females. The bill creates a campus grievance process and a civil cause of action for a student who loses an athletic opportunity.
Opponents cautioned the bill addresses a problem they said largely does not exist in Indiana. Representative Johnson said, "This bill is not about fairness in sports. It's not about protecting opportunities for athletes," and argued that the measure would stigmatize a vulnerable population and divert legislative attention from other priorities.
Representative Campbell and other supporters pointed to safety concerns and incidents from other states and urged protecting competitive opportunities for female athletes. Supporters also said institutional grievance processes and a civil remedy are appropriate enforcement mechanisms.
The House recorded the final passage: 71 ayes, 25 nays. The clerk was instructed to notify the Senate of the bill’s passage.
