In Utah, transgender girls will again be given the opportunity to participate in female sports as the new school year begins. This is after a judge reversed a ban imposed starting July by a Republican-led legislature that overrode an earlier veto on this by Gov. Spencer Cox.
Utah state judge Keith Kelly said in the ruling that the three transgender student-athletes who filed the lawsuit that led to his decision have shown they’ve suffered significant distress by “singling them out for unfavorable treatment as transgender girls.”
Now, instead of an outright ban, transgender girls have to go before a state commission of political appointees who will determine if they are eligible to participate. This panel will be allowed to ask for, and assess the child’s height and weight in making decisions, and on whether a transgender girl would have an unfair advantage. This panel will include a medical data statistician, a physician with experience about gender identity healthcare, a sports physiologist, mental health professional, collegiate athletic trainer, representative of an athletic association, and a rotating member who is a coach or official in the sport relevant to each case.
In the US to date, at least 12 Republican-led states — including Utah — passed laws banning transgender women or girls in sports because of the non0-scientific belief that they have an unfair competitive advantage.
