ST. PAUL – In an effort to maintain fairness and safety in girls’ athletics, State Representative Peggy Scott (R-Andover) is chief-authoring legislation that would prohibit boys from playing in girls’ sports in Minnesota.
“By allowing biological males to compete in biological girls’ competitions, all we’ve fought for through Title IX and women’s athletics is meaningless,” Scott said.
Scott’s bill specially states that only students of the female sex may participate in an elementary or secondary school athletic team or sport that an educational institution has restricted on the basis of sex to women or girls. If there is a dispute, a student must present a signed physician’s statement indicating the student’s sex is based solely on the student’s internal and external anatomy, natural occurring level of testosterone, and an analysis of the student’s chromosomes.
Minnesota State High School League record books find significant differences between top scores in the boys and girls divisions. For example, the boys record holder for long jump is roughly five feet more than the girls record holder; there’s a seven second difference in the 400-meter dash; more than an 11-foot difference in the shot put, and a 32 second difference in the swimming 500-yard freestyle.
Scott said a simple internet search shows all sorts of articles that prove girls are being physically injured while participating with biological males in female athletics – from concussions to having teeth knocked out. In addition, a study conducted by the United Nations found that female athletes have lost nearly 900 medals worldwide to transgender men that are competing in their events.
Scott said studies show a vast majority of people agree that biological sex should determine participation in sports, and that those born male at birth should be excluded from women’s sports. Scott said it’s troubling for her that something so common sense actually needs to be debated.
“There’s a reason we don’t allow 98-pound wrestlers to compete in the heavyweight division,” Scott said. “There are fairness issues and there are safety issues involving girls’ sports teams. When it comes to boys and girls' athletics, how you identify shouldn’t matter; how you were born should.”