"Sometime in 2018, Republican legislators became obsessed with fair play in youth sports. It started when a trans high-school student won a track-and-field championship in Connecticut and Idaho legislator Barbara Ehardt decided she couldn't let the same thing happen in her state. Claiming that trans girls, whom she referred to as "biological boys," had a competitive advantage in girls' sports, she drafted a bill that would bar them from "interscholastic, intercollegiate, intramural, or club athletic teams.""
"The truth is that as complex as the task of making sports truly gender-inclusive - or "fair" - might seem, there is limited evidence that trans girls possess any athletic performance advantages. A review of scientific literature published between 2011 and 2021, commissioned by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, found that to be the case even for girls who are not actively taking testosterone suppressants."
In 2018 Republican legislators began focusing on fairness in youth sports after a transgender high-school student won a track championship. Idaho legislator Barbara Ehardt labeled trans girls "biological boys" and drafted a bill barring them from interscholastic, intercollegiate, intramural, or club athletic teams. The Fairness in Women's Sports Act passed Idaho's legislature in 2020 and inspired similar bills in about 30 states, supported by conservative organizations such as the Alliance Defending Freedom. Scientific reviews, including a 2011–2021 review for the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, found limited evidence of athletic advantages for trans girls, even without testosterone suppression. Legislative efforts prioritize bans over further research or addressing documented equity issues in women's sports.
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