House Bill 302, titled Preserving Sports for Female Students, by a vote of 50-23, largely along party lines — Republicans for, Democrats against, the Deseret News reports.
It now goes to the Senate. It would require Utah public schools to designate sports by gender and prohibit students “of the male sex” from activities designated for females.Its supporters as well as those backing similar legislation in other states contend that trans girls have an inherent and unfair advantage over cisgender girls.
However, many activists and scientists dispute this, saying there are many factors — training, body size, and more — that could give either a trans or a nontrans athlete an advantage.Also, there are very few trans athletes, male or female,.