Transgender Student Athletes Are Now Required to Play on A Sports Team By Their Gender at Birth

On Tuesday, a new law went into effect, regarding transgender student-athletes in Texas.

Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill into law in 2021 after it had failed in the Texas House previously. The bill makes it mandatory for transgender student-athletes to play on sports teams, depending on their sex assigned at birth or close to when they were born.

The law does, however, allow girls to play a sport that doesn’t have a girls’ team, such as football.

Many critics of the bill, including White House officials and many people in Texas and organizations, have expressed their opposition. LBGTQ supporters have stated that this is destructive to young people who are transgender.

Armonte Butler, of “Advocates for Youth,” said that not only does this law lessen transgender athletes’ opportunity to play sports, it also “stigmatizes, shames, and criminalizes trans youth.”

But, people who agree with the law say that it simply keeps things fair for athletes and preserves girls’ sports.

It was also noted that the bill guarantees that Title IX protections “stay in place.”