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As Anti-Trans Bills Advance, NCAA Says Championship Environments Must Be 'Free Of Discrimination'

NCAA

Updated April 13, 1:10 p.m.

The NCAA Board of Governors issued a statement Monday in support of transgender student-athletes with more than two dozen states considering legislation to restrict their participation.

"The NCAA Board of Governors firmly and unequivocally supports the opportunity for transgender student-athletes to compete in college sports. This commitment is grounded in our values of inclusion and fair competition," the statement says.

Last week, Oklahoma House Republicans revived a bill dubbed the "Save Women's Sports Act." Senate Bill 2 would require school and intercollegiate athletics teams in the state be based on biological sex, banning transgender athletes from competing on women’s teams.

For the past decade, NCAA policy has required transgender women go through a year of hormone therapy before competing. The Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association adopted a similar policy.

"Our clear expectation as the Association’s top governing body is that all student-athletes will be treated with dignity and respect. We are committed to ensuring that NCAA championships are open for all who earn the right to compete in them," the NCAA Board of Governors said.

The NCAA’s policy also says assumptions transgender women have a competitive advantage are "not well founded" and fears men will pretend to be women to compete on women’s teams are "unwarranted."

In 2016, the NCAA pulled seven championships from North Carolina after lawmakers there passed a bill requiring transgender people use restrooms corresponding to the sex on their birth certificates. That bill also blocked local LGBTQ anti-discrimination policies.

"We will continue to closely monitor these situations to determine whether NCAA championships can be conducted in ways that are welcoming and respectful of all participants," Monday's statement concluded.

Oklahoma City has hosted the Women's College World Series every year but one since 1990.

Rep. Sheila Dills (R-Tulsa), a coauthor of SB2, accused the NCAA of trying to force Oklahoma "reshape states' rights and individual values."

"We all want to promote business and economic development opportunities in our state and our local communities, and we certainly love athletics. But we cannot sacrifice our Oklahoma values, which include fairness in sport and the protection of opportunities for women and girls in Oklahoma, for the sake of dollars or even the popularity of such events," Dills said in a statement Tuesday.

Matt Trotter joined KWGS as a reporter in 2013. Before coming to Public Radio Tulsa, he was the investigative producer at KJRH. His freelance work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and on MSNBC and CNN.
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