Lawmakers in Indiana, home of the NCAA headquarters, seek to expand ban on transgender sports to include college programs
representatives from Indiana they want to do more in their efforts to retain biological male athletes in boys’ and men’s sports.
Current state law, introduced in 2022, prohibits those born male from playing against girls from kindergarten through high school. This week, Republican representatives Michelle Davis, Chris Jeter, Joanna King and Robert Heaton introduced 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 to Indy Star. “As a mother and legislator, I wrote this bill because I heard directly from Hoosier parents who want to ensure female athletes have a fair chance to compete and be recognized.”
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The state capitol building in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana on a sunny spring morning. (Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Indianapolis, the state capital, is also where the NCAA headquarters are located.
The bill would also require out-of-state teams with a transgender athlete to notify their opposing Indiana school of said athlete at least 60 days in advance. Athletes will also be able to file lawsuits against their school if they feel they have been denied an opportunity or injured as a result of a potential violation of the law.
Jeter, one of the co-authors, said the bill is intended to “protect women’s sports in Indiana.”
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb vetoed the original bill nearly three years ago, but the Indiana General Assembly overruled that decision. Holcomb, a Republican, is leaving office later this month due to term limits and will be succeeded by fellow Republican Mike Braun.
Two months after Holcomb vetoed the bill, a federal judge in the state ruled that a transgender student must be allowed to use the boys’ restroom at high schools in the state.
Transgender athlete cheerleader Kyle Harp, left, of Riverside holds a Pride of Progress 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 the Riverside Unified School District meeting on Thursday night to discuss the rights of transgender athletes to compete in high school sports, Thursday, December 19, 2024. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Last month, NCAA President Charlie Baker sent a message to female students who are uncomfortable sharing locker rooms with transgender athletesplacing the responsibility for their own safety squarely on the women themselves.
During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on legalized sports gambling, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., questioned Baker about NCAA Policies which allowed trans athletes to compete on women’s teams. Hawley confronted Baker about an NCAA policy that says “transgender student-athletes should be able to use the locker room, shower and restroom consistent with their gender identity.”
Baker, the former Republican governor of Massachusetts, responded by insisting that other athletes have the option of finding other housing if it doesn’t suit them.
NCAA President Charlie Baker speaks during a news conference celebrating the 25th anniversary of the NCAA national office moving to Indianapolis on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, at NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis. (Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar/USA Today Network)
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The NCAA saw controversy sweep the nation as trans volleyball player Blaire Fleming helped San Jose State University into the Mountain West championship game.
Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
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