'Manufactured distraction': House passes transgender sports bill. Most Democrats vote no

‘Manufactured distraction’: House passes transgender sports bill. Most Democrats vote no

Posted by author February 19, 2025 Sports

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The Republican author of an Indiana bill to ban transgender women from college women’s sports made sure to mention that her House Bill 1041 earned bipartisan support during the committee stage.

But on the House floor Tuesday, other House Democrats made clear that much of the caucus remains staunchly opposed to the bill, as they were in 2022 when the same measure was debated in the realm of K-12 sports.

The bill passed the House 71-25 Tuesday, with the support of three House Democrats. Two House Democrats didn’t vote.

Opponents argued the bill is a solution in search of a problem ― given that the NCAA estimates there are only about 10 transgender college athletes in the country ― and threatens to attract more scrutiny and possibly violence toward an already vulnerable population.

Indianapolis Democratic Rep. Blake Johnson called it a “manufactured distraction.”

“This bill is not about fairness in sports. It’s not about protecting opportunities for athletes. It’s not about responding to a crisis, because there is no crisis,” he said. “This bill is instead about the national political winds and rhetoric that pushes us further and further from one another.”

The NCAA already changed its policy to prohibit transgender women from competing in college women’s sports, shortly after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on the matter ― with bill author Rep. Michelle Davis, a Republican from Whiteland, in the room.

So the bill wouldn’t change the present reality, West Lafayette Democratic Rep. Chris Campbell said on the House floor. Rather, she said it would only stoke more fear among transgender youth, who are already at greater risk of bullying and suicidal ideation.

“The message that this bill sends terrifies parents and individuals who don’t conform,” she said. “I don’t expect to change your minds, but it’s important that you realize the unintended consequences of passing this legislation.”

Supporters of the bill usually reference examples from other states that have garnered national attention. On the floor, Rep. Martin Carbaugh, R-Fort Wayne, mentioned a North Carolina volleyball player who, according to the New York Post, received a traumatic brain injury from taking a spike to the head from a transgender player two years ago. He also mentioned an incident in a Massachusetts high school that went viral last year.

Carbaugh said this is about acknowledging the physical differences between people assigned male or female at birth.

“Do I think that those athletes, the transgender athletes, were trying to create this kind of hurt and harm? No, I don’t think so,” he said. “And I do feel very badly for those athletes and those folks that struggle with their gender identity. I genuinely care about those people, but I also care about our women trying to play sports, our girls.”

Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Kayla Dwyer atkdwyer@indystar.com or follow her on X: @kayla_dwyer17.