An Ohio Senate committee has approved changes to the bill that bans transgender athletes from participating on girls鈥� sports teams to no longer include language that could lead to invasive exams.
The bill, , still prohibits transgender athletes from participating in girls鈥� sports on the middle and high school level, but now it no longer applies to collegiate teams.
The language that required a student to present a 鈥渟igned physician's statement indicating the participant's sex鈥� if their sex was disputed was removed from the bill after receiving backlash.
That doctor鈥檚 note would鈥檝e required an internal and external reproductive anatomy exam.
Rep. Jessica Miranda (D-Forest Park), a survivor of child sexual abuse, said that provision was 鈥渘othing short of state-sanctioned sexual abuse.鈥�
House Speaker Bob Cupp (R-Lima) said House Republicans, who approved that original language, support taking the examination language out.
鈥淚n fact, there was an error when it was in the amendments in the House, so there's no objection to take it out. In fact, our members would encourage it to come out,鈥� said Cupp.
The new language requires a student-athlete to provide a birth certificate that indicates what sex they were assigned at birth if their sex is disputed. Opponents have said the language is vague as to who can dispute a student athlete鈥檚 sex.
Sen. Andrew Brenner (R-Delaware) said they鈥檙e still gauging interest on whether to move the ban forward in the Senate.
鈥淭ransgender girls can compete in boys鈥� sports, we鈥檙e not excluding that. We believe there鈥檚 a biological difference in boys,鈥� said Brenner, arguing the reason behind the legislation.
However, opponents still strongly oppose the bill said it clearly discriminates against transgender students.
They argue Republicans are trying to solve a problem that doesn鈥檛 exist given that the Ohio High School Athletic Association has had a process in place for years that ensures trans athletes don鈥檛 have a physiological advantage in girls鈥� sports.
鈥淭his bill will affect every single transgender girl in sports, all of whom will have an original birth certificate marked with male. The whole point of OHSAA鈥檚 existing policy is to separate boys from transgender girls by obligating athletes to show proof of actual transition. This bill replaces that standard in a way that would instead ban all transgender athletes from sports,鈥� said Maria Bruno, public policy director for Equality Ohio.
Sen. Vernon Sykes (D-Akron) said the Senate should scrap the pending bill and instead codify those OHSAA policies.
The bill remains in committee and would need a vote in the Senate and House, and the governor鈥檚 signature by the end of the year in order to become law.
