A Virginia State Senate subcommittee on Thursday shelved legislation that would have prohibited biological men who identify as transgender women from competing on sports teams with biological women, despite the bill receiving support from Governor Glenn Youngkin, Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, Attorney General Jason Miyares, and former college athlete Riley Gaines.
Senate Bill 749 by State Senator Tammy Brankley Mulchi (R-Clarksville) would have required schools to clearly state whether sports teams are for men, women, or are coed, and also required student athletes to obtain a signed document from a physician stating they seek to compete on a team that corresponds to their biological gender. The bill would have also allowed students who suffered from a school’s failure to adhere to the law to sue for damages.
The legislation was permanently shelved on Thursday by the Senate Subcommittee on Public Education, which contains three Democrats and two Republicans, according to 13 News Now, which noted that some Democrats expressed skepticism about the number of trans athletes in the commonwealth, and highlighted claims that similar legislation passed in the U.S. House, noting that Gaines noted Democrats asserted the legislation would require genital inspections for students.
Gaines, who gained national attention after she was forced to compete in a collegiate swimming competition against Lia Thomas, a biological man who identifies as a transgender women, dismissed the latter claim at a Wednesday press conference with Youngkon, Earle-Sears, Miyares, and Mulchi.
“The Democrats said things like this bill would require genital inspections, it’s going to require internal and external anatomy inspections,” Gaines said. “That’s not true. Don’t believe the fear-mongering and the lies.”
Gaines additionally claimed that Virginia Democrats minimized her experiences when she sought their support to protect women’s sports.
“How they told me it didn’t really matter, it’s a fringe issue, it’s such a small percentage, this isn’t really happening. They allowed this to happen,” said Gaines.
Earle-Sears, who is seeking the Republican gubernatorial nomination to succeed Youngkin, referenced the 2013 comments by professional tennis player Serena Williams, who acknowledged that she would lose if competing against a man.
“Imagine that,” said Earle-Sears. “A woman who has won 39 major titles, and if she is telling us it is not the same game, men and women, then we ought to believe her.”
Watch the full press conference:
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
