The Oregon House of Representatives rejected a bill that would have required Oregon schools and colleges to separate sports teams based on biological sex.
The vote was split along party lines. After months of not hearing the bill, House Republicans forced it to be brought to the floor for a vote.
Several House Republicans came out in support of the bill. Christine Drazan, a state representative and House Minority Leader, stated that the bill is about fairness in female sports.
“I think it’s possible to protect women and women’s sports and create space for trans athletes to compete,” Drazan told reporters. “This is the time to recognize that women should continue to have the right and the opportunity to compete at their highest levels against other women.”
Drazan delivered an emotional address on the House floor, asking for an intern on her staff. She stated that the intern was forced to share a locker room with a biological male her age.
“This is a young girl who wasn’t expecting when she made the decision to pursue her athletic career; she wasn’t expecting to have to navigate having a biological male in the locker room,” Drazan went on. “She didn’t know that she would have to compete against biological men on the track, and that has been something that has affected her.”
Drazan invited more than a dozen teenage female athletes to talk about their interactions with transgender women in school athletics.
Democratic state politicians were adamant about protecting the rights of transgender students and persons. State Representative Rob Nosse, a Democrat, stated that transgender athletes are constantly targeted.
“I believe these attacks are motivated by old biases, negative preconceptions, and mistaken worries, all disguised as efforts to safeguard women’s sports. Nosse stated that transgender people are not transitioning from female to male obtain an advantage in athletics.
The plan would also have required school systems and institutions to divide bathrooms and locker rooms by biological sex. If these guidelines had been breached, students and families may have sued for damages.
A statewide poll commissioned by House Republicans indicated that 69% of Oregonians oppose the OSAA’s present policy, which allows biological males to compete in women’s sports. Rep. Boomer Wright, the bill’s principal sponsor, stated that individuals across the country are advocating for this type of legislation.
“Let’s just face it, they’re men, and they shouldn’t be in women’s sports, and we have seen across this country that women are standing up, and they’re saying, ‘No, this is unfair,'” Wright told the group.
Twenty-six states have approved laws prohibiting transgender women from participating in women’s sports.
Other state Democrats warned that this type of legislation might have severe implications.
“This rhetoric attacking trans youth has devastating real-life consequences. At best, it alienates Oregon’s children, and at worst, it leads to children taking their own lives,” said state Rep. Jules Walters.