Lawmakers in Indiana, home of the NCAA HQ, are looking to expand the ban on transgender sports to include college programs
Indiana lawmakers are looking to go one step further in their efforts to keep natural male athletes in boys’ and men’s sports.
The current state law, introduced in 2022, prohibits those born male from playing against girls from kindergarten through high school. This week, Republican lawmakers Michelle Davis, Chris Jeter, Joanna King, and Robert Heaton filed a bill that would extend the ban to college teams.
“To ensure a level playing field, it is important that girls compete against girls, and boys against boys,” Davis wrote in a statement sent to the Indy Star. “As a mother and legislator, I endorsed this bill because I heard directly from Hoosier parents who want to ensure that female athletes receive a fair chance to compete and be respected.”
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The capitol building in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, on a sunny spring morning. (Educational Images/Common Images Group via Getty Images)
Indianapolis, the state capital, is also where the NCAA headquarters are located.
The law would also require out-of-state teams with a transgender athlete to notify their opposing Indiana school of the athlete at least 60 days in advance. Athletes will also be able to file lawsuits against their school if they feel they have had an opportunity taken away from them or are injured due to possible violations of the law.
Jeter, one of the co-authors, said the bill is intended to “protect women’s sports in Indiana.”
Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb originally vetoed the bill nearly three years ago, but the Indiana State Assembly overruled that decision. Holcomb, a Republican, will step down at the end of this month due to term limits, and his fellow Republican, Mike Braun, will replace him.
Two months after Holcomb rejected the bill, a state judge has ruled that a transgender student must be allowed to use the boys’ restroom at a state middle school.
Transgender athlete supporter Kyle Harp, left, of Riverside holds a pride flag as “Save Girls Sports” supporters Lori Lopez and her father Pete Pickering, both of Riverside, listen to the debate as they join an overflow crowd gathering outside Riverside Unified School. Thursday night regional meeting to discuss the rights of transgender athletes to compete in high school sports, Thursday, December 19, 2024. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Last month, NCAA president Charlie Baker sent a message to women’s college athletes who are uncomfortable sharing locker rooms. and transgender athletesplacing the responsibility of their own safety on the women themselves.
During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on legalized sports gambling, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., asked Baker about NCAA Policies which allowed trans athletes to compete on women’s teams. Hawley confronted Baker about the NCAA’s policy that “transgender student-athletes must be able to use the restroom, shower and restrooms consistent with their gender identity.”
Baker, the former Republican governor of Massachusetts, responded by insisting that other athletes have the option of finding other accommodations if they are uncomfortable with it.
NCAA President Charlie Baker speaks during a press conference celebrating the 25th anniversary of the NCAA moving its national office to Indianapolis on Tuesday, August 13, 2024, at the NCAA Headquarters in Indianapolis. (Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar/USA Today Network)
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The NCAA witnessed a controversy that swept the nation, as trans volleyball player Blaire Fleming helped San Jose State University to the Mountain West championship game.
Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
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