A Texas bill could ban trans athletes from playing college sports

Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas Marco Bello/Reuters

• Anti-trans legislation has swept across the country in recent months. 
• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to pass a bill that would ban trans athletes from college games. 
• The bill would only allow athletes to play on teams corresponding to their sex at birth. 

Gov. Greg Abbott is poised to sign a bill that would ban trans athletes from playing in college sports on the team that aligns with their gender identity, the HuffPost reported. 

If Abbott signs the bill into law, student athletes on teams sponsored or authorized by public colleges will only be allowed to play on teams that match the gender they were assigned at birth.

The bill passed in the state legislature of Friday and advocates have pushed back against it.

"S.B. 15 is yet another invasive, impractical measure mandated by the Texas legislature to 'fix' a problem that does not exist," Melodía Gutiérrez, Texas director for the Human Rights Campaign said, according to the Texas Tribune. "Every student deserves the same chances to engage in sportsmanship, self-discipline, and teamwork, and to build a sense of belonging with their peers. We should not discriminate against or ban any student from playing because they're transgender."

The Tribune reported that Abbott has already said he would sign the bill when it  lands on his desk. 

Legislatures clarified that the law would only apply to intercollegiate games, not intramural games. 

The legislation is one of many anti-trans bills that have circulated across the US in recent months. Insider previously reported that much of the legislation across multiple states is nearly identical. 

After reviewing 130 bills across 40 states, The Associated Press tied much of the language in the proposed laws back to conservative groups like Do No Harm and the Family Research Council.