JEFFERSON CITY, MO (KMOX) - A bill to ban transgender athletes from girls' and women's sports is heading to a floor vote in the Missouri House, after passing in committee Monday.
Representative Bennie Cook says athletes who were born male have an unfair advantage in women's competitions, "I just want to ensure that we're protecting our girls and our women that are out there and can potentially get scholarships and other things in their lives and I don't want anything to impact them on that."
Toni Schafer of the ALCU says, if lawmakers want to protect girls in sports, they should focus on harassment and abuse. "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 from harassment and abuse."
Supporters of the measure say males who transition to females have an unfair physical advantage in sports. The measure now heads to the full Missouri House.
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