PHOENIX — Voting along partisan lines, the Arizona House passed a bill Tuesday banning transgender females from playing on any girls' sport team, from kindergarten to college. Athletes whose gender identity is challenged are required to submit to genetic testing. "This regime gives no specific protections for privacy," Representative Diego Rodriguez (D-Laveen), a no vote said.
The bill's sponsor is Representative Nancy Barto (R-Phoenix) who rejects the notion the legislation discriminates, saying it levels the playing field for girls and young women competing in sports, "what we're doing is making sure we know the sex of a student," Barto said.
Jennifer Brown watched the debate from the gallery. Her daughter is a transgender athlete.
"I don't understand, I honestly don't understand," Brown said. "My kid is a kid. She's a girl. Look at her today -- she's a girl."
But Republicans saw it differently, believing a transgender athlete has an advantage.
Speaker of the House Rusty Bowers said, "this bill protects the hard fought gains of women to allow them the agency to express themselves in sports in a fair and competitive way."
The bill will now move on to the Senate, where its outcome is hardly assured.
Opposition to it grew steadily throughout the session, from the LGBTQ Community to Business leaders. The Governor, Speaker and Senate President received a letter signed by 200 businessmen and women warning of potential economic ramifications if the transgender bill becomes law.
The 2023 Super Bowl and the 2024 Final Four are scheduled to be held in the Valley. House Democrats argue, passing the transgender bill will risk those events and others from coming here. Representative Daniel Hernandez Jr. (D-Tucson) a no vote said, "This is not an Arizona problem. We don't need an Arizona solution."
