ST. PAUL – Minnesota House Republicans on Monday brought forward a bill they say supports safe and fair competition for girls in school-sanctioned athletics.
House Democrats blocked it, which Rep. Bernie Perryman, R-St. Cloud, said leaves the door open for biological males to participate in girls sports.
The bill is called the Preserving Girls Sports Act (H.F. 12). By voting it down, Perryman said House Democrats undermined safety and fairness for female athletes, while also contradicting vast popular sentiment. Polls show around 80 percent of people agree with the position, including 67 percent of Democrats.
“People I talk with can’t understand how allowing biological males to compete in girls competitions is OK,” said Perryman, a co-author of the bill. “There are so many obvious reasons to support this bill that it should have received overwhelming support in passing. Instead, by blocking this, the folks across the aisle put girls at risk and also undermined progress we have made through Title IX and other initiatives over the course of decades.
“This is not a partisan issue. This bill is about fairness, safety and preserving girls sports in Minnesota. It is common sense.”
The Preserving Girls Sports Act specifically states that only female students may participate in school sports 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 5 feet longer than the girls record holder; there’s a 7-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.
Furthermore, Perryman said a simple internet search shows produces numerous articles indicating 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.
“It’s really sad that House Democrats played politics by siding with the activists and putting girls at risk instead of doing what most Minnesotans want,” Perryman. “This could have been the easiest vote they took all session but, instead, they made it partisan.”
The floor vote came just hours after a Preserving Girls Sports Act rally took place at the Capitol. Riley Gaines, a 12-time NCAA All-American swimmer and girls sports advocate, attended the event.
House Republicans tabled the bill after Democrats voted against it, keeping it available for future reconsideration.
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