A plan that would prevent biological boys in Minnesota from playing in girls’ sports received a full House floor debate this week. State Representative Tom Dippel (R-Cottage Grove) voted yes on the bill.
“The Preserve Girls Sports Act has two goals: to promote fairness and to maintain safety in girls’ athletics,” Dippel said. “It does not prevent any child from participating in sports. Boys and girls have significant physical and physiological differences, which is why this legislation seeks to protect female athletes.”
Specifically, the House bill states that only students of the female sex may participate in an elementary or secondary school athletic team or sport that an educational institution has restricted on the basis of sex to women or girls. If there is a dispute, a student must present a signed physician’s statement indicating the student’s sex is based solely on the student’s internal and external anatomy, natural occurring level of testosterone, and an analysis of the student’s chromosomes.
Dippel said the bill received a full vote of the Minnesota House on March 3. All 67 Republicans voted for the proposal, and all 66 Democrats voted against it. 68 votes are needed in order for legislation to be approved in the Minnesota House. Following some procedural motions after the vote, Dippel said the bill could be revisited by the House in the weeks ahead.