KRCU Public Radio | By Caoilinn Goss, Josh Seabaugh
Published April 12, 2022 at 9:36 AM CDT
The Missouri House Committee on General Laws approved a bill Monday that would ban trans women athletes from competing in women's sports post-season or playoff games.
The bill, SB 781— dubbed the 'Save Women's Sports Act', would apply to youth sports as well as high school and collegiate sports. It was sponsored by Senator Mike Moon, a Republican from Ash Grove.
Proponents of the bill say the goal of the legislation is to make sure women athletes assigned female at birth have fair access to scholarships and opportunities, without having to compete against athletes they perceive as having a biological advantage.
The ACLU maintains that there is no evidence to suggest the genetic and physical traits of a person's assigned sex at birth affect athletic performance.
Tori Schafer is a spokesperson for the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri. She says the bill is in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. She also says the act’s name is misleading.
"If our senators and representatives truly care about protecting women's sports, then they should allocate more funding and resources to girls sports and create stronger laws that protect women athletes against harassment and abuse."
The bill was approved by a vote of 8-4 and now moves to the House Floor.
Josh Seabaugh Josh Seabaugh has been at Southeast since 2018. While journalism was his second major, he's found his home is truly in this field. He is a part of 'Redhawk Rhythm', Southeast's acapella group. During his downtime, he watches shows or plays games with his girlfriend, who has been his biggest supporter.
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