House Government Operations Committee Chair Brian BeGole today spearheaded the advancement of bills that emphasize safety and continued opportunities for girls playing sports in Michigan.

House Bills 4066 and 4469 prohibit biological males from participating in girls’ sports. The plans would require schools to designate sports teams by a participant’s sex at birth.

“Women’s sports were created to give female athletes a level playing field to compete and showcase their athletic abilities,” said BeGole, of Antrim Township. “But we’ve seen this thrown into flux as biological boys and men compete in girls’ and women’s sports.

“We’ve come so far with women’s rights over the years – from the right to vote to Title IX. It’s important to underscore how sacred these rights are and how dangerous it is to encroach on them. When biological males compete in girls’ sports, it erodes fair competition and curtails opportunities for female athletes – and that’s not right.”

The Michigan High School Athletic Association currently has a case-by-case policy that has allowed some individuals that are biological boys to compete in girls’ sports. On Feb. 5, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in education programs and activities of recipients that receive federal funding. The order will rescind funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, and the bills advanced from BeGole’s committee work to keep Michigan in compliance with the directive.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association immediately changed its policies in response to the president’s order by limiting competition in women’s sports exclusively to female student-athletes.

“Nearly 30 other states have moved to preserve equal athletic opportunities for women and girls and uphold the integrity of fair competition,” BeGole said. “I believe it’s our duty here in Michigan to update our policies to reflect these changes that we are seeing on a national level and keep female athletes safe as they compete in youth and high school sports. I don’t see why we would look at what collegiate athletics has done and say it’s safe for biological males to compete against girls if these are 16-year-old athletes, but not when they’re 18.

“These bills do not shut anyone out from playing sports. They apply common sense and understand the physical advantages that biological males can have on a playing field against biological females – and the dangers that can occur if that happens.”

The committee heard powerful testimony from Payton McNabb, a former high school volleyball player from North Carolina who suffered head and neck injuries after being hit with a ball spiked by a biological male competitor, and Riley Gaines, a 12-time all-American collegiate swimmer and advocate for fairness and safety in women’s sports.

HBs 4066 and 4469 now move to the House for consideration.

PHOTO INFORMATION: House Government Operations Committee Chair Brian BeGole speaks during a hearing on House Bills 4066 and 4469 on Thursday, May 15. BeGole led the advancement of the bills, which work to protect female athletes in Michigan from having to compete against biological males.