On April 14, the Florida House of Representatives passed The Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, a bill that would ban transgender women from competing on womens’ sports teams. Should a teacher or competitor lodge a complaint, transgender students from kindergarten to college level would be subject to genital examinations and hormone testing to prove their biological gender.

After going through the House, the bill is now moved to the Florida Senate where, if passed, will be given to Republican governor, Ron Desantis. The legislation is solely focused on female sports and does not mention male sports. Proponents of the bill in Florida say that the bill will protect biologically female athletes and ensure equality in competition. 

Opponents, however, argue that this legislation reduces women and transgender children to political pawns, aimed with the motivation of invalidating transgender youth.

A similar wave of bills are being introduced around the country, a marked increase from last year. The Human Rights Campaign reports 117 such bills in this legislative session so far, surpassing last year’s total of 79—a 48% increase by just this May. 

President Joe Biden has come out strongly opposing this—and other similar—bills, as seen in his January 20 Executive Order on Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation. Republicans have responded to this order through bills such as The Fairness in Women’s Sports Act. 

As US politics grow increasingly divided, it is becoming clear that fairness in sports—specifically questions of the biological validity of transgender individuals—will be pushed to the forefront.