INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Transgender Hoosiers and their families told a Senate panel Wednesday that a proposed ban on transgender women on women’s college teams puts a target on their backs. Indiana lawmakers are considering legislation to ban anyone assigned male at birth from competing on women’s sports teams at either public or private universities. The measure expands on Indiana’s 2022 ban on transgender girls on girls’ K-12 sports teams. Rep. Michelle Davis, R-Whiteland, wrote both the K-12 ban and the proposed college ban. There are few reliable statistics on transgender athletes, but anecdotal evidence suggests they are rare. In December, NCAA President Charlie Baker told a Congressional committee he was aware of fewer than 10 transgender athletes out of more than 500,000 total athletes competing in NCAA-sanctioned sports. Prior to the 2022 K-12 ban, the IHSAA told lawmakers only one transgender girl had ever applied for permission to compete on a girls’ team, and that girl had withdrawn her application before IHSAA officials could ask for more information. Both the NCAA and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, which sanctions athletic events at small colleges, now have policies that prohibit transgender women from competing on women’s teams. Davis said her bill is still necessary because either organization could change their policy at any time and a future president might reverse President Donald Trump’s recent executive order targeting transgender female college athletes. Wednesday afternoon, transgender Hoosiers and their families urged a Senate committee to reject the proposal. Beth Clawson said her daughter, who is transgender, used to play multiple sports. Now she doesn’t play any due to Indiana’s K-12 ban, and Davis’ bill would further extend that prohibition. Sophia Almeda, an IU student who is transgender, said the bill targets her even though she doesn’t play sports. “This legislation goes beyond sports. It validates discrimination against all trans students,” she said. “It tells me and students like me that we are less worthy of full participation in the IU community and the state.” Supporters of such bans have cited high-profile cases involving known or accused transgender athletes on women’s teams. Elle Patterson, who also testified in support of the bill in its House hearing, said she lost a volleyball scholarship at San Jose State University to a transgender student and was forced to share locker rooms and hotel rooms with them against her will. San Jose State University has not commented on the matter and the athlete in question has never publicly discussed their gender identity. “The head coach constantly compared me to (the player) and expected me to be able to play at the same physical level,” she said. “Being lied to and deceived by my coaching staff and my athletic department and being misled by (the player) showed how easily their wellbeing was prioritized over my wellbeing and the wellbeing of women on my team and the opposing teams.” Sen. Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington, said she has particularly serious concerns about the impact the bill might have on people who are born intersex. She said the bill might further pressure parents into making a hasty decision about their child’s gender identity that might not align with how the child develops later, physically or mentally. Davis said she doesn’t share that concern and that any person in that situation would play on the team that matches their gender assigned at birth. The Senate Education and Career Development Committee did not vote on the bill. That vote could come at a later meeting. ...read more read less