HB 359 – Save Women’s Sports Act sponsored by Delegate Kathy Szeliga and 32 Republican Delegates will have a hearing in the House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday, February 15 at 1 p.m. To testify on this bill you must sign up on the General Assembly “MyMGA” account on their website at: http://mgaleg.maryland.gov.
Biological females are being required to compete against biological males identifying as females in high school and college interscholastic and intramural junior varsity athletic teams or sports sponsored by public schools. This is not a level playing field. Biological males have greater lung capacity, longer and stronger bones and other physical strength advantages over biological females. The bill provides strong documentation in support of the need to protect girls’ and women’s sports for girls and women.
You’ll probably remember the University of Pennsylvania case where a male student competed for 3 years on the men’s team without distinction, and then identified as a female and competed and won all the awards on the women’s team.
Girl’s and women’s opportunities for scholarships and competitive sports in colleges or professionally are at stake. It’s very important that we speak up loudly that girls’ and women’s sports should be reserved for biological females.
HB 359 provides that there be three types of teams:
- a boys, male, or men’s team or sport
- a girls, female, or women’s team or sport
- a coeducational or mixed team or sport
No one is excluded but separate categories allow for fair and equal opportunity to compete.
HOW TO TESTIFY:
1. Sign up Monday, February 13th between 8am-3pm at MyMGA – Witness Signup (maryland.gov)
2. Give written testimony.
– A PDF format for written online testimony.
– Describe why you like the bill.
– At the very least you can just select FAV (favorable) and that will act as your testimony.
3. Give Oral Testimony in person or via Zoom.
– Sign into Zoom live for the hearing.
– Come to Annapolis in person on February 15th at 1pm.