House Passes Ban On Transgender Students Playing On Their Preferred Sports Team

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 05/22/2025) Banning transgender student athletes from playing on their preferred sports team based on gender passed the House Thursday.

HB 4066 and HB 4469 require school districts to designate sports teams as women’s, men’s or mixed, prohibit “knowingly” allowing students to choose a different team to play on and amend the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to exempt schools that base eligibility to participate in athletics on gender or sex.

HB 4066 passed 58-46 and HB 4469 passed 59-46 with Reps. Kimberly Edwards (D-Eastpointe), Alabas Farhat (D-Dearborn), Peter Herzberg (D-Westland), Tullio Liberati, Jr. (D-Allen Park), Tonya Myers Phillips (D-Detroit) and Karen Whitsett (D-Detroit) absent and Rep. Amos O’Neal (D-Saginaw) voting yea on the second bill.

“I truly felt the promise of America when I voted last term to expand civil rights in Michigan finally for our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents here, after five decades of that tireless advocacy,” said Rep. Carrie Rheingans (D-Ann Arbor) in a floor speech. “This is a choice that we are making to roll back progress and rights for kids in our state.”

Rep. Emily Dievendorf (D-Lansing), the only openly non-binary member of the Legislature, said in a floor speech that during their time as a civil rights lobbyist, they have stood outside these chambers with transgender non-binary kids pleading for adults to protect them.

“This bill is blatantly discriminatory against kids. It makes girls across the board – not exclusively transgender and non-binary children – pawns in an absurd and degrading debate about human value,” Dievendorf said.

Rep. Josh Schriver (R-Oxford) said in his floor speech that Title IX is an act of love from former President Richard Nixon signed in 1972.

Last week in House Government Operations Committee testimony, two well-known former athletes, Riley Gaines and Payton McNabb, testified about their experiences losing to and being injured by transgender women they competed against.

Rep. Jason Woolford (R-Howell), a sponsor of the package, said in his floor speech on Thursday that McNabb said she would rather not spend her time flying around the country trying to convince lawmakers to keep sports teams separate based on gender.

“Payton’s school didn't step up to protect her. The athletic association in her state didn't step up to protect her. Coaches did not step up to protect her. And her elected lawmakers didn't step up to protect her. But that ends today. It ends now,” Woolford said.