Two separate California anti-trans bills, which aimed to keep transgender athletes out of sports teams consistent with their gender identity, have failed to move forward.
Both bills, AB-844 and AB-89 would have required that participation in sex-segregated California school programs, athletic teams, and facility use be based on a pupil’s sex, not gender identity.
They were blocked by lawmakers, preventing the California Interscholastic Federation – the governing body for high school sports – from banning trans girls from participating in the teams that align with their gender identity.
Kate Sanchez, a Republican and Assemblymember who authored bill AB-89, claimed that the proposal was about “protecting women”.
ABC reports that the Republican-backed bills drew a large crowd to the state Assembly’s Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports and Tourism hearing, including right-wing political commentator Matt Walsh who showed up to give his two cents, saying: “allowing men to compete in women’s sports is deeply unfair.”
He finished his speech by saying: “Will you side with the truth… or will you disgrace yourselves by denying it. That is your choice to make.” They then made their choice, and rejected the bills.
‘This is wrong’
Democratic Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva spoke out the proposed bans, stating they were an attack on trans youth. She did, however, say she would support a study on trans athletes participation in sports.
“This is wrong, and this is cruel,” she said of the proposed bills, as reported by ABC7 Eyewitness News.
The outcome comes a day after Trans Day of Visibility (31 March) and a week after California’s Democratic governor Gavin Newsom spoke out against trans inclusion in women’s sports.
Newsom – who has been Governor of California since 2019 – has previously been a staunch supporter of trans and wider LGBTQ+ rights, having criticised drag bans, signed protections for LGBTQ+ youth into law and called out Florida governor Ron DeSantis for “demeaning” the community.
However, the politician made his unexpected comments in the debut episode of his podcast This is Gavin Newsom in which he spoke with Turning Point USA co-founder and notable MAGA figure Charlie Kirk.
“I think it’s an issue of fairness, I completely agree with you on that. It is an issue of fairness — it’s deeply unfair,” Newsom said of trans inclusion in sport.
His comments follow US president Donald Trump signing an executive order banning trans women and girls from participating in female sports.
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