The Arizona Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill Thursday to limit the participation in public and private school sports to a student’s biological sex at birth. The bill passed along a party-line vote.
An attorney cited instances in Connecticut where transgender females defeated cisgender women and girls in sports.
The Arizona Interscholastic Association that governs high school sports already has a policy stating all students should participate in sports in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity. The association has only had a dozen requests from transgender athletes in the last 10 years.
The bill got support of several speakers, including Jadis Argiope who is transgender.
“The reality is we're stronger. We're taller. We have bigger bones. We can take in more oxygen. We have a better fat distribution that gives us an advantage in taking hits, right? We have stronger ligaments," Argiope said.
Sen. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton disagreed with the premise that men were inherently stronger than women. The bill now goes to a full Senate vote after review by its Rules Committee.
