Rep. Michelle Davis, R-Whiteland, speaks before the House Education Committee on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, at the Indiana Statehouse. Up for discussion was her bill to block transgender women from participating in women’s sports at Indiana colleges. (Casey Smith/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
A bill to block transgender women from participating in women’s sports at Indiana colleges advanced from committee with bipartisan support Wednesday and now heads to the full chamber.
House Bill 1041, authored by Republican Rep. Michelle Davis, seeks to expand the state’s previous ban on transgender girls in K-12 sports to college athletics.
The legislation would require all sports teams at Indiana’s public and private colleges to be male, female or coeducational. Athletes who were assigned male at birth would be barred from participating in a “female, women’s, or girls’ team or sport.”
The measure also requires colleges and universities to establish grievance procedures for students or parents to file claims if a team violates the gender restrictions.
Davis described her bill as “common sense legislation that ensures that female athletes are provided with a safe and even playing field at the collegiate level in Indiana.”
“Ensuring fairness in collegiate sports is essential to protecting opportunities for our female athletes. Biological differences impact athletic performance, and House Bill 1041 helps maintain a level playing field,” she said, later adding that, “I think we can all agree that we all think athletics and protecting female sports in Indiana is an appropriate thing to do.”
Although Democrats on the House Education Committee were critical of “virtue signaling” they said surrounded the bill, all but one — Rep. Vernon Smith — ultimately voted in favor.
The proposal passed 12-1 to the House chamber after roughly 90 minutes of discussion and testimony.
“This is a very difficult vote. … I think we’re going about it the wrong way. We’re getting the state involved when the NCAA will do it, but I’m not going to allow us to be misled on this,” explained Rep. Ed DeLaney, D-Indianapolis.
He said he agreed, though, with the “broad principle” of “keep(ing) males out of female sports.”
“I wish we were doing it in a more professional way. I wish we were respecting the NCAA. But if the only option is whether to send a message that we support women, that’s fine,” DeLaney continued. “But I’m not part of the message that we want to belittle people who are having a difficult choice in life as to what they think their sex is.”
Davis authored an earlier bill to ban transgender girls from participating in K-12 sports in 2022.
The earlier legislation passed both chambers but was vetoed by then-Gov. Eric Holcomb, who preferred the Indiana High School Athletic Association’s existing policy around athlete eligibility. The General Assembly voted to overturn the veto, however, putting the language into law.
Although the ban faced numerous legal challenges, a federal appeals court later allowed it to take effect.
This story will be updated.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.