A Wyoming LGBT advocacy group offered to pay supporters to travel to Cheyenne to attend a rally Monday at the state Capitol on behalf of biological males being allowed to participate in girls and women’s sports.
In a Facebook post, Wyoming Equality offered financial support, including for food, housing, and gas, for those interested in attending the group’s “Let Them Play” rally.
The group protested Senate File 133, which would prohibit transgender “females” from competing in girls high school sports.
“Please come to the capitol THIS MONDAY! This is a last fight that we MUST WIN,” the Facebook post advertising the rally said. “Don’t let finances be a barrier: if you need support to come, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/Sq9JdgSLZtxtympa8.”
On Monday afternoon, Wyoming Equality and its supporters gathered on the Capitol steps, spoke to the press, and sat in the House gallery to advocate “for the inclusion of transgender youth athletes.”
“Tomorrow is the day to TEAM UP for trans kids in Wyoming- will you be with us? From 1-5 we will rally, speak to the press and then quietly sit in the House gallery- a silent presence of support for our kids,” another Facebook post on Sunday read. “See you there, friends.”
The legislation passed the House Education Committee in a 5-to-4 vote. On Tuesday, the bill passed its second reading in the House.
While many Democrats argue for opening girls and women’s sports to biological males who claim to identify as transgender, Republicans largely oppose this policy. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., reintroduced the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act on Feb. 2 to ensure that only biological females compete against other biological females in women’s competitive sports at institutions receiving federal funds under Title IX.
In January, a federal judge upheld West Virginia’s Save Women’s Sports Act, rejecting a legal challenge from the American Civil Liberties Union that would have allowed biological males who “identify” as female to compete in girls and women’s sports.
Lia Thomas, a biological male, competed on the University of Pennsylvania men’s swim team for three years before identifying as female and transitioning to the women’s team. Thomas beat biological females for the NCAA championship title.
The Wyoming bill would prohibit “students of the male sex from competing on a team designated for students of the female sex as specified.”
It would also provide clarifying definitions: “‘Sex’ means the biological, physical condition of being male or female, determined by an individual’s genetics and anatomy at birth,” the bill states.
Wyoming Equality hosted the rally in conjunction with other left-wing groups, including the Wyoming ACLU and the Human Rights Campaign. Wyoming Equality did not respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment.
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