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A Republican lawmaker from Tennessee has introduced a bill that would prevent trans athletes in schools from playing in teams that match their gender identity.
Tennessee representative Bruce Griffey introduced the bill. If successful, trans students who participate in team sports should play the wrong sex in the state.
He said he wanted to ensure equity in team sports at the school level and insisted that there was no ill will under Bill 1572, reports Nashville Channel 5.
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What hes just trying to do is, I think, science and experience and just society, said the Republican. We all know that, traditionally, men generally have a larger heart, greater upper body strength, and this can give them a genetic advantage when they compete with women in a number of sports.
Under bizarre law, schools could be fined $ 10,000 if they allowed a trans student to participate in team sport consistent with their gender identity.
If the bill is passed, public officials who knowingly violate the ban would be forced to resign from their positions and would not be eligible to hold public office for a period of five years.
Some members of the General Assembly have not tried to understand that young trans people are part of our school population and we must serve and protect them like all students.
The new bill has been criticized by LGBT + activists in the state. Chris Sanders of the Tennessee Equality Project told Nashville Channel 5: Some members of the General Assembly have not made an effort to understand that trans youth are part of our school population and we must serve and protect them as all the students.
He said the bill was part of the 2020 Hate List, a series of bills intended to attack the LGBT + community in Tennessee this year. He called the new bill insulting to trans youth.
The myth that trans women have an advantage over cisgender women in sport is ubiquitous, despite the fact that many LGBT + sports organizations have repeatedly refuted the claims.
Last year, lesbian tennis player Martina Navratilova caused controversy when she wrote a column for the Sunday Times, arguing that trans athletes should not be allowed to participate in competitive sports. The LGBT + sports organization, Athlete Ally, later severed ties with it and issued a statement denying its claims.
Athlete Ally pointed out that there is no evidence that the average trans woman is taller, stronger or faster than the average cisgender woman, but there is evidence that often when athletes lower testosterone by through hormone replacement therapy, performance decreases.
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Republican politician introduces law prohibiting trans athletes from playing in teams that match their gender identity - Daily Gaming Worlld
