INDIANAPOLIS — A bill that would ban transgender girls from participating on girls' sports teams is moving to a full Senate vote after it passed through a Senate committee on Wednesday.
The bill, HB 1041, passed the Senate Education and Career Development Committee on Wednesday with an 8-3 vote. It will now move to the Senate for a full vote.
HB 1041 would prohibit transgender girls from participating on sports teams at K-12 public schools designated for girls. The bill would also establish a civil action for violations and schools wouldn't be subject to civil, administrative, disciplinary or criminal liability for complying with it.
A rally against the bill was held Wednesday afternoon before the committee met.
Demonstrators rallied today at the Statehouse against an Indiana bill that would prohibit transgender girls from playing on girls sports teams in K-12 schools.
— WRTV Indianapolis (@wrtv) February 16, 2022
(📸: Paul Chiodo/WRTV) pic.twitter.com/87tm0upxcp
MORE | Rally at Statehouse planned to oppose HB 1041, bill would restrict trans girls from girls' teams | ACLU says proposed Indiana bill would ban transgender students from school sports
Supporters of the bill, including its author, State Rep. Michelle Davis, R-Greenwood, want the bill to protect fair competition for females.
"I want to make sure that all the opportunities are provided for our young females and we protect the fair competition for them so they have all those possibilities," Davis said.
People who opposed HB 1041 spoke during the bill's hearing in the House Education Committee about the mental health toll transgender kids face when they're singled out by legislation. Many of them were parents who fear their kids will not be able to live a normal life if bills like HB 1041 become law.
"The Indiana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics opposes this legislation because it would harm children in Indiana and further marginalize transgender youth who are already at higher risk of depression and serious mental health issues," Dr. Lauren Bell said. "Research has shown that refusing to acknowledge an individual's gender identity leads to psychological and physical harm. Gender identity is a well-established concept in medicine which refers to a person's internal sense of being male or female."
-
Marion County Coroner seeks families of decedents with unclaimed remains
The Marion County Coroner’s Office is asking the public to help locate families of people who died in 2024 and remain unclaimed.
IU offering free generative AI course to anyone worldwide
Indiana University announced Thursday that it is now offering an essential skills course in generative artificial intelligence to everyone worldwide, free of charge.
LIV Golf CEO says the show will go on amid reports of Saudi funding uncertainty
LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil sought to quell speculation about the league's financial future with a memo that said the 2026 season will continue as planned without interruption and “at full throttle.”
Summer-like Friday, rain & storms Friday night, cooler air for the weekend
The entire week in central Indiana has featured above-average temperatures. A strong cold front passes this weekend, knocking back our temperatures into the 30s by Monday morning.
