Wisconsin Republican legislators have again introduced two bills, Senate Bill 377 (Assembly Bill 378) and Senate Bill 378 (Assembly Bill 377) aimed at prohibiting biological males who "identify" as girls or women from competing in girls' or women's sports. The proposed legislation would mandate that student athletes join teams aligned with their biological sex, unless the team is specified as co-ed.

“These bills would afford three categories of sports competition based on a person’s biological sex with an additional co-ed category allowing for all to participate,” wrote the lawmakers in a co-sponsorship memo. “This assures inclusion while also protecting safety and irrefutable biological composition.”

One of the bills applies to K-12 public, independent charter, and private schools that enroll students using Parental Choose Program vouchers, while the other would impact the University of Wisconsin System and technical colleges. Wisconsin Republican legislators introduced similar bills in 2021, which successfully passed in the Assembly but did not advance in the Senate.

These bills have become even more urgently necessary in light of recent events in the Green Bay Area School District. Some local media outlets are reporting that last Thursday, parents of students athletes in the district met with their school principal and the Title IX coordinator to discuss concerns about a transgender student trying out for a team.

According to the Transgender Participation Policy of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA), schools are required to ensure that students have equal access to athletics, free from any form of discrimination, including factors such as disability, race, and gender identity.

“They just told us this is the Title IX ruling, this is how it stands, this is what you can do and that was really it,” parent Ryan Gusick explained. “I thought the meeting was pretty disappointing, the fact that they went through everything they had to say, left it open for questions and that was it.”

“Because this person chooses to identify as a female, they get to use the female locker room, and if our girls feel threatened or afraid. go to seek the school counselor,” Gusick said. “They’re also just more concerned about their safety just the way the balls are being hit and kicked at them, things like that.”

There is no doubt that men boast a clear physical advantage over women despite cross-sex hormone treatments. This is not only an issue of fairness, but of safety and women's privacy rights.

Please contact your state representative and state senator HERE (just put your address in the area labeled "Who Are My Legislators," and then click on "Find Your Legislator") and encourage them to support these bills and get them to Governor Evers' desk. Female athletes in Wisconsin deserve an even playing field!