A new bill touches on a widely-debated topic: transgender athletes in competitions. (Photo by JJAVA/Adobe Stock)
A controversial topic that has swept the nation – transgender athletes – will show up in the Delaware General Assembly Wednesday.
Dubbed the “Fairness in Girls’ Sports Act,” Senate Bill 191 is on the agenda of the Senate Education Committee and if approved would force a trans student athlete to compete only with others who share their biological gender.
Sponsored by Sen. Bryant Richardson R-Seaford, the bill says biological gender is determined by that at birth and based on the student’s birth certificate or other government record if a birth certificate is unobtainable.
“After hearing from constituents in my district and concerned individuals throughout the state, I felt it was important to introduce SB 191,” Richardson said Tuesday. “Thankfully, to the best of knowledge there are no documented cases in Delaware where biological males have competed in girls’ sports and been victorious.”
However, he said he cannot ignore the fact that this could become a possibility as seen in other states across our nation.
An exception is outlined in the bill to allow female athletes to compete in male sports if a corresponding female sport is not available.
Under the bill, a school district, charter school or Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association (DIAA) member school must designate an athletic team or sport based on the biological sex of students.
Civil actions can be brought forward against any school or individual who violates this bill, with a statute of limitations of two years.
The topic of transgender athletes became a national issue in 2022, when Lia Thomas, a transgender woman, became the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship. She won the women’s 500-yard freestyle event for the University of Pennsylvania.
Since then, she has been barred from competing in women’s events by World Aquatics.
However, many say concern over the performance of trans athletes is overblown.
Although the specific number varies, it’s estimated that less than 50 of the NCAA’s 500,000 plus college athletes are transgender – less than .1%.
“Biological males competing in girls’ sporting events completely contradicts the purpose of Title IX that advocates fought so hard for, that young girls and women be afforded an equal opportunity to compete and succeed,” Richardson said.
Immediate efforts to reach the Pride Council of the United Way of Delaware Tuesday were unsuccessful.
His bill comes with just five days left in this year’s legislative session.
For it to become law, it would need to be released by the Senate Education Committee Wednesday, pass the Senate, be released by the House Education Committee and pass the House before being signed into law by Gov. John Carney.
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