Texas is now poised to join seven other states that passed similar laws this year, part of a national campaign in which Republican legislators introduced such bills in 32 states.
Conservatives say the law, which applies to public school teams through high school, is protecting fair competition. “We need a statewide level playing field,” bill sponsor Representative Valoree Swanson said during the debate.
Equal rights activists have said there is no evidence that trans women and girls are dominating sports. Ricardo Martinez, chief executive of the LGBTQ+ rights group Equality Texas, called passage of the bill a “hateful, targeted attack on transgender people.” Political analysts say the campaign is meant to animate hard-core Republican