The Montana House Judiciary has passed the Save Women’s Sports Act, legislation that would prevent biological men who “identify” as women from competing against biological women.
Now the lawmakers will hold a hearing on the bill.
The Daily Wire reported on the development:
House Bill 112 cites various reasons for its position: “inherent differences between men and women” ranging from “chromosomal and hormonal differences to physiological differences” as well as men generally possessing “denser, stronger bones, tendons, and ligaments” and “larger hearts, greater lung volume per body mass, a higher red blood cell count, and higher hemoglobin” along with a “higher natural level of testosterone, which affects traits such as hemoglobin levels, body fat content, the storage and use of carbohydrates, and the development of type 2 muscle fibers.”
The bill quotes a recent study of female and male Olympic performances since 1983 that found although athletes from both sexes improved over the time span, the gender gap between male and female performances remained stable, which “suggest[s] that women’s performances at the high level will never match those of men.” The bill also quotes Duke Law professor and All-American track athlete Doriane Lambelet Coleman, tennis champion Martina Navratilova, and Olympic track gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross writing, “The evidence is unequivocal that starting in puberty, in every sport except sailing, shooting, and riding, there will always be significant numbers of boys and men who would beat the best girls and women in head-to-head competition. Claims to the contrary are simply a denial of science.”
“In the days since the initial hearings on Monday, Democrats also said the potential ramifications have increased because of a new executive order signed by President Joe Biden barring entities that receive federal funds from discriminating on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation,” the Montana Free Press reported.
“I think it’s irresponsible, one day after President Biden has issued this order that will possibly jeopardize millions and millions of dollars in federal funds that Montana receives, to pass this bill before we have a chance to see the fiscal note that evaluates how many millions we will lose as a result of this bill,” Democrat Rep. Ed Stafman said in the Free Press report.
HB 112 concludes:
Be it enacted by the legislature of the State of Montana: Interscholastic, intercollegiate, intramural, or club athletic teams or sports that are sponsored by a public elementary or high school, a public institution of higher education, or any school or institution whose students or teams compete against a public school or institution of higher education must be expressly designated as one of the following based on biological sex: males, men, or boys; females, women, or girls; or coed or mixed. Athletic teams or sports designated for females, women, or girls may not be open to students of the male sex.
A government entity, a licensing or accrediting organization, or an athletic association or organization may not entertain a complaint, open an investigation, or take any other adverse action against a school or institution of higher education for maintaining separate interscholastic, intercollegiate, intramural, or club athletic teams or sports for students of the female sex.
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