Next week, legislators on the House Judiciary Committee will be given an opportunity to vote on SB 1165, a bill that would ban trans girls from girls’ sports in schools. This kind of legislation is completely unjustified: trans girls deserve the same opportunities as every other girl, and that includes the opportunities school sports provide to develop confidence, to build friendships, and to feel empowered. It’s important to be clear that only a small number of trans kids participate in sports. SB 1165 is a cruel and unnecessary bill targeting a tiny minority of student athletes, but it would have drastic unintended consequences for all girls. By imposing strict standards of scrutiny for gender, the bill would subject all girls to uncomfortable surveillance of their bodies and expose them to potential bullying and harassment for their appearance. Wednesday morning at 8 AM, the House Judiciary Committee will decide whether they want to advance this bill; if they want to protect girls’ sports, they should vote it down.
What You Can Do Right Now
Testimony will be extremely limited in the committee meeting, but you should still register your opposition to the bill in Request to Speak1. In the next week, one of the best things you can do is to contact members of the committee directly to explain what this bill would mean for girls’ sports and to ask them to vote against it.
Members of the House Judiciary Committee:
Walter “Walt” Blackman (Chairman): wblackman@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3043
Neal Carter: ncarter@azleg.gov | (602) 926-5761
Domingo DeGrazia: ddegrazia@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3153
Mark W. Finchem: mfinchem@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3122
Melody Hernandez: mhernandez@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3449
Christopher Mathis: cmathis@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3138
Quang H. Nguyen: qnguyen@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3258
Jacqueline Parker (Vice-Chairman): jparker@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3375
Jennifer Pawlik: jpawlik@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3193
Beverly Pingerelli: bpingerelli@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3396
Also on Wednesday’s Agenda: SB 1138
The Pace amendment to SB 1138 has significantly changed the stakes of this bill, but it would be wrong to say that it’s completely in line with the standards of care for minors as established by medical experts. Under WPATH, while irreversible genital surgeries are not recommended for patients under the age of 18, masculinizing breast surgeries are affirmed as a safe and appropriate option for minor patients who have socially and hormonally transitioned for at least 12 months. In its current form, SB 1138 bans all surgery indiscriminately. This bill is unnecessary and ill-conceived. Standards of care evolve and should be decided by experts, not the legislature. All across the country, LGBTQ+ people are facing legislative and executive action in their states that threatens to destroy communities and separate children from loving and supportive parents. SB 1138 is a very different bill, but this isn’t the time for equivocation – this is a moment for Arizona’s leadership to make it clear that trans children and their families are welcome, valued, and protected by our laws.
For more information about Request to Speak, check out our legislative guide.
