From WisPolitics: “A Senate committee (The Senate Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families) today voted against recommending legislation that would bar transgender athletes from playing girls sports after GOP Sen. Joan Ballweg joined two Dems in opposing it.
AB 377/SB 378 can still advance to the Senate floor next week despite the 3-2 vote, via paper ballot, against the bill. GOP committee members Jesse James, R-Altoona, and Rachel Cabral-Guevara, R-Appleton, both voted for it.
The legislation, which passed the Assembly along party lines in October, would require public, choice and charter schools to designate their sports teams as either male, female or co-ed. Those who were identified as male on their birth certificates would be barred from playing on a team designated for females.
Ballweg, R-Markesan, voted against a similar bill in committee last session. After that vote, she told WisPolitics she opposed the legislation for a couple of reasons. That included her past work as chair of the Speaker’s Task Force on Suicide Prevention while she was in the Assembly. She noted transgender youth are at significantly higher risk for depression, suicide and victimization compared to their peers.”
Read the WASB’s previous blog post for our position and more information on the bill.
