The Alaska House of Representatives voted 22-18 late Sunday to pass a bill that would ban transgender girls from participating in girls' school sports teams by restricting access for girls who are identified as girls on their original birth certificates. It was approved by a vote of .
The decision came after several hours of filibustering by a coalition of opponents, but supporters mustered enough votes to defeat dozens of amendments introduced by opponents and move House Bill 183 from the state. Although it has been submitted to the Senate, the proposal is expected to be scrapped without passing into law.
Although the Senate has said it will not consider the bill, and there are no known transgender athletes in Alaska school sports, responsiveness to voters is still a top priority for most House Republicans. He said there was.
Rep. Jamie Allard (R-Anchorage) said he believes transgender girls are boys, and House Republicans stand with other Alaskans who feel the same way.
“I want you to know that Alaska stands with you. I stand with you. I know that the majority of my members stand with them, too. To the parents of children, please know that we will fight. We will fight for your children. We will fight for your daughters in the sports world,” she said. Ta.
Opponents of the bill said that if it became law, it would immediately face legal challenges as discriminatory.
“Transgender girls are girls. Our gender identity is determined, coded and hardwired in our brains,” said Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage, who opposed the bill. “99.5% of us have a gender identity in our brains that matches our physical body, but half of us don't.”
Rep. CJ McCormick (D-Bethel) has suffered from a spinal condition since he was young. Speaking on the floor of the House of Commons, he said he was bullied and made fun of at school for being different.
“I'm a Bethel kid. I grew up in rural Alaska. I grew up with a rare spinal condition. The kids used to hit me and make fun of my neck,” he said. said.
He said he became friends with some of the bullies because of their shared love of sports, but he vehemently opposed the bill because it would put barriers in place for children's sports. .
“All this discussion, we're talking about kids. We're talking about kids. We're attacking kids!” he said.
Rep. Alice Galvin, D-Anchorage, is the mother of a transgender daughter and said she can't believe Alaskans are making the issue a top priority. She said “outside agitators” and social media are getting people excited about the issue, but she believes it can be overcome.
“I think we look inward. We block out the outside voices of hatred and discord. And we find ourselves inside of love, empathy, compassion, and understanding of all that we've been taught. Focus on the voice. The only way we can change the course of harmful discourse is to distance ourselves from it,” she said.
In the final vote, all 20 Republicans in the House Majority Caucus voted in favor of the bill, as did Representatives David Eastman (R-Wasilla) and Dan Ortiz (R-Ketchikan). Ta.
All House Democrats and independents except Ortiz voted against the bill. The only Republican to vote against it was Rep. Louise Stutes, a Kodiak Republican and minority lawmaker.
After the bill passed, Rep. Zach Fields (D-Anchorage) called for a second vote, which could happen as early as Tuesday. The bill is still expected to pass in a second vote, but the vote total could change.
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