CHEYENNE (LifeSiteNews) — The Wyoming legislature recently approved a bill that would separate sports teams by biological girls and boys while also establishing a system in which kids may be deemed eligible to play on a team that does not align with their sex.
The Republican-sponsored legislation has passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate. It now heads to Republican Gov. Mark Gordon, who will either veto the bill or sign it into law.
Senate File 0133 first requires that athletic activities within public and private schools “expressly designate school athletic activities and teams” as male, female, or coed. Boys and girls are, as a rule, prohibited from competing against each other on school sports teams and schools are protected from complaints and investigations for implementing this rule.
However, the legislation also proposes to form a “school activity eligibility commission” which allows for students to compete against members of the opposite sex if the designated commission approves their requests.
“The commission shall consist of five members appointed by the Wyoming high school activities association within thirty days following this article becoming effective,” the bill states. “The members shall be residents of the state of Wyoming and shall consist of: a current or former athletic director or coach; a mental health professional; a parent of a current student; [and] two members at large.”
A chairman will be elected by the members of the commission and “each member shall serve a three-year term.”
“The commission shall promulgate rules to determine eligibility based on physical characteristics for the age and gender group in a given gender-designated interscholastic activity including height, weight, [and] physical characteristics.”
Additionally, those who are working on the commission or the Wyoming high school activities association will be “immune from any liability arising from complying with or administering this act.”
If a student is approved by the commission, he or she “may participate” in athletic teams and activities which do not correspond with biological sex. Granted eligibility by the commission is the only way that gender-confused children can compete against members of the opposite sex, even if they have pursued medical intervention for their confusion.
Upon receiving a request for eligibility to compete against the opposite sex, the commission will “schedule a closed meeting” and inform necessary athletic associations as well as parents or guardians about the meeting. If signed into law, the legislation will go into effect on July 1.
In 2022, several states across the country passed bans on men competing in women’s sports, a controversy which rose to the spotlight with gender-confused collegiate swimmer “Lia” Thomas. Last February, Arizona approved legislation which effectively bans gender-confused individuals from competing against the opposite sex from kindergarten through collegiate sports. South Dakota and Indiana passed similar bans.
As the issue maintains prominence throughout the nation, professional athletes from various sports have spoken out against the males competing against females, saying it is unfair and destroying women’s sports. In May 2022, a female skateboarder criticized Red Bull for forcing women to compete against a man, who emerged victorious and celebrated in a contest. The following October, former NBA (National Basketball Association) player Matt Barnes said that men playing women’s sports is “crossing a line.” Christian surfer Bethany Hamilton recently slammed a decision by the World Surf League (WSL) to allow gender-confused men to compete against women.
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