The Arizona House of Representatives passed a new bill that if signed into law would ban transgender female athletes from participating in school sports.
House Bill 2706 states that if disputed,"a student may establish the student's sex by presenting a signed physician's statement that indicates the student's sex" and an analysis of the student's DNA.The bill was first introduced on Feb. 3 and passed in the House one month later along party lines 31-29 after an emotional hours-long debate on Tuesday.
Democratic Rep. Daniel Hernandez Jr. took to Twitter after the measure passed in the House and called it"bad for Arizona." "It's gonna bring people out of the corners of the field to cast accusations -- the liability here is so broad that I have very severe concerns that some schools will find some excuse to -- simply not have games," she added.
"Any student who is deprived of an athletic opportunity or suffers a direct or indirect harm as a result of a violation of this section has a private cause of action for injunctive relief, damages and any other relief available under law against the educational institution," the bill states. Currently, the Arizona Interscholastic Association -- the state's governing body for school sports -- has policies in place for transgender athletes to compete"in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity."