Indiana Looks to Become Tenth State to Restrict Transgender Girls in School Sports
Republicans support the bill.""It's just, how do we make sure that we're ... playing fairly in terms of athletics," Behning said, according to AP.The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana released a statement Thursday on their website in opposition to the bill.
The statement says the bill singles out transgender kids by banning them from participating in sports, "sending them the message that they are not worthy of the same kinds of opportunities as their classmates.""Transgender people have the right to participate in sports consistent with who they are, just like anyone else," the ACLU of Indiana says in the statement. "Denying this right is unconstitutional and blatant discrimination."The ACLU of Indiana urges lawmakers to "stop these attacks" on transgender children, according to the statement.If the bill were to pass, Indiana would become the 10th state to ban transgender athletes from school sports.
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Texas all have laws prohibiting transgender athletes from school sports, according to The New York Times.
However, federal judges have halted the laws in West Virginia and Idaho, AP reported. The U.S. Department of Justice has also challenged bans in other states.Several other bills exist in the Indiana Legislature regarding limitations on transgender people.
