Arizona House approves ban on transgender female a

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The Arizona House of Representatives passed a ban on transgender students participating in girls’ sports, a measure its sponsor argued is common sense but which opponents contended would allow for discrimination against young athletes.

The emotional hours-long debate on House Bill 2706 culminated in a party-line vote of 31-29, sending the measure to the state Senate, where it will become another flashpoint in the culture wars at the state Capitol.

Rep. Nancy Barto, a Phoenix Republican who is sponsoring the measure, argued it is necessary in the face of a lawsuit in Connecticut brought by the conservative Scottsdale-based group Alliance Defending Freedom and students who argue they unfairly lost out in competition with transgender athletes.

Barto could not cite any such cases in Arizona of students missing out on scholarships or titles, but conservative groups have pushed similar laws across the country this year.

HB 2706 would require interscholastic and intramural leagues to designate sports as co-educational, male or female based on what the law terms "biological sex." Teams or sports designated as "female" would be closed "to students of the male sex."

The law would apply at both public and private schools, including community colleges and universities.

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