Bills that passed in the Michigan House Thursday would ban transgender athletes from playing girls’ school sports. That follows President Donald Trump issuing an executive order earlier this year doing the same thing.
An issue, however, is that the order conflicts with Michigan civil rights law, which includes transgender people as a class protected from discrimination.
Representative Rylee Linting (R-Wyandotte) sponsors a bill that would create a carve-out for sports.
“This legislation would update the law to help ensure that Michigan is compliant with federal directives surrounding Title IX and gives local school districts the clarity and authority to enforce policies that protect girls' athletics,” Linting said during a floor speech.
She and other Republican supporters of the legislation say it’s necessary to protect the integrity of girls’ sports from what they view as an intrusion.
But Democratic opponents of the bills argued they’re a waste of time and a distraction from substantive issues.
Representative Emily Dievendorf (D-Lansing) said the legislation is a “threat to all kids.”
“It erodes kids' civil rights by allowing unequal access to protection under the law for every young girl who does not appear stereotypically feminine. These bills would embolden people to unabashedly target and question the gender of girls who do not fit their standard of femininity,” Dievendorf said.
According to the Michigan High School Athletics Association, only two trans Michigan students received a waiver to play among the more than 100,000 girls in high school sports this school year. Both played in the fall.
No trans athletes played in girls’ sports in this spring. Despite that, a federal court has still ordered the MHSAA, a private non-profit, to comply with Trump’s order. And the Michigan House previously passed a resolution also compelling compliance.
When asked for a comment about the latest update, MHSAA spokesperson Geoff Kimmerly said the organization’s stance has remained unchanged since March.
“The MHSAA follows and will continue to follow all applicable state and federal laws. We are monitoring developments in this regard closely, including federal litigation challenging the recent Executive Order and potential changes to state law that have been introduced in the Michigan legislature. The MHSAA plays no role in either, however," Kimmerly said in a written statement.
"Until those matters are resolved, the MHSAA is not in a position to change its current rules or policies, which again comply with applicable state and federal law,” Kimmerly said.
