The Alabama legislature voted on Thursday to give final passage to a bill that seeks to ban transgender athletes from girls’ school teams, according to The Associated Press.
The bill would ban K-12 schools from allowing transgender athletes, specifically biological males, from participating on female sports teams, according to the report. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has not signaled whether or not she would sign the bill, which passed the Republican-controlled legislature with a vote of 25-5.
Republican Sen. Garlan Gudger of Alabama said he believes the bill is important to “protect the integrity of women’s athletics.”
“I think it is unfair for biological males to compete and beat females in high school sports. There are biological advantages that men possess just naturally because of genetics,” Gudger said.
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton said the bill’s passage would make it harder to recruit sporting events and industries to the state, according to The Associated Press report.
“We are spending too much time on craziness like this,” Singleton said. (RELATED: Gov. McMaster: NCAA ‘Ought To Mind Their Own Business’ About Regulations On Trans Athletes)
Singleton’s comments come after the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) announced Monday that it would pull championships out of states that ban transgender athletes from competing.
A statement from the NCAA Board of Governors said the organization “firmly and unequivocally supports the opportunity for transgender student-athletes to compete in college sports.”
“The NCAA has a long-standing policy that provides a more inclusive path for transgender participation in college sports,” the statement read.