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Jefferson City, Missouri (KMIZ)
On Tuesday, the halls of the Missouri State Capitol were once again filled with people opposing and supporting the Women’s Sports Savings Act.
Last week, a House committee heard several versions of the bill. This week, a Senate committee is taking up six slightly different versions of the law barring transgender students from participating in sports if they identify as a different gender than they were born with.
The six Republican lawmakers supporting these bills say they protect women from unfair competition, but Democratic lawmakers question whether this is a priority.Greg Sen. Lazer (D-Kansas City) asked all attendees if “kids who want to play track and do whatever they want” are worth such care .
With people wanting to testify against the bill spilling into the hallways, the committee limited public comment to one hour in favor and one hour against. Both times were easily filled with crowds.
Camdenton student-athlete Nora Powers was the first to speak out in support of the Save Women’s Sports Act. Powers said she accepted a scholarship to continue the sport at the college level, and she said she didn’t want to see that opportunity taken away from future athletes.
“If I have to compete with mediocre men every time I meet them, they consistently outperform me in biological superiority,” Powers said. So there is no reason for college coaches to give sports scholarships to female athletes when they can give scholarships to men who compete with women.
Amelia Wright, a Colombian resident and transgender athlete, testified against the bill. Wright played on the women’s roller derby team and was a lifelong athlete.
“I was worried they didn’t want me playing with a transgender woman, but I was welcomed by my new teammates and before long they treated me like everyone else on the track. I hit the ground,” Wright said.
Wright is in his 20s and comes out as transgender.
“I wouldn’t be who I am today without the opportunity,” Wright said. “In another life, when I knew I was transgender and came out as a teenager, I would have been denied these same opportunities.”
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