麻豆精品

Get essential education news and commentary delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up here for 麻豆精品鈥檚 daily newsletter.

Legislation that would limit transgender students鈥� participation in school sports advanced out of a Senate committee on Monday after similar legislation during the regular session.

With no Democratic members present after dozens of , in an attempt to halt GOP-backed , six Republicans on the Senate Health and Human Services Committee still had a quorum and held their first public hearing on two bills during the days-old special legislative session. Gov. added the issue to lawmakers鈥� agenda when he called the special session.

Sen. , R-Lubbock, who is also vice chair of the committee and who authored and , said the bills would protect cisgender women鈥檚 rights to compete in their desired sports.

Both of the bills would require student athletes to participate on sports teams that correspond with the student鈥檚 sex assigned at birth or listed on their official birth certificate at or near the time of birth. SB 32 would impact sports at K-12 public schools, while SB 2 covers both K-12 and public colleges and universities.

鈥淚t reminds us that it鈥檚 not OK to destroy the dreams of one for the benefit of another,鈥� Perry said during the committee hearing, arguing that transgender boys and men could take opportunities away from cisgender girls and women.

Advocates for transgender athletes and other opponents of the bill argued that there was little evidence that transgender athletes were joining sports teams.

Maddox Hilgers, who identifies as nonbinary and is a graduate student at the University of Houston, implored the committee to halt the legislation.

鈥淭his argument that transgender athletes will take over women鈥檚 sports is ridiculous, because there just not enough transgender girls to do that,鈥� Hilgers said.

The University Interscholastic League of Texas 鈥� which oversees and governs high school athletics in Texas 鈥� currently requires the gender of students be 鈥渄etermined based on a student鈥檚 birth certificate.鈥�

But the UIL recognizes changes made to a student鈥檚 birth certificate, including when a transgender person has the gender on their birth certificate changed to correspond with their gender identity, said Jamey Harrison, the UIL deputy director. But SB 2 and SB 32 would no longer allow that.

During the regular legislative session, Lt. Gov. made similar legislation a priority, with sailing through the Senate chamber. The bill ultimately died after the House for passing all Senate bills in the lower chamber.

Cassie Villela of San Antonio was one of many parents with transgender children who showed up again on Monday after testifying before the Legislature during the regular session. Bills considered earlier this year 鈥� but that were not part of Monday’s committee hearing 鈥� sought to restrict or punish transition-related health care, like puberty blockers, for children.

鈥淢y husband and I are just doing our best to give my daughter the support that she needs,鈥� Villela told the senators while testifying against the sports bills. 鈥淲e struggled for the last few years to figure out what that looks like.鈥�

Villela said her 7-year-old daughter, who is trangender, already has a difficult road navigating obstacles such as discrimination 鈥渨ithout having to justify her existence to the Texas Legislature.鈥�

Villella said she came to the Capitol more than five times during the regular session to testify and talk with legislators individually about bills affecting transgender youth.

鈥淚 think they don鈥檛 see people鈥檚 lived experiences with it, the reality of it,鈥� Villela said.

Allyson Waller is a reporter , the only member-supported, digital-first, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

Disclosure: University of Houston has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete .

Did you use this article in your work?

We鈥檇 love to hear how 麻豆精品鈥檚 reporting is helping educators, researchers, and policymakers.