Arizona Senate Bill 1165

Last updated
Senate Bill 1165
Seal of Arizona.svg
Arizona Legislature
  • AN ACT AMENDING TITLE 15, CHAPTER 1, ARTICLE 1, ARIZONA REVISED STATUTES, BY ADDING SECTION 15-120.02; RELATING TO ATHLETICS.
Citation
Territorial extentFlag of Arizona.svg  Arizona
Enacted by Arizona Senate
EnactedFebruary 2, 2022
Enacted by Arizona House of Representatives
EnactedMarch 24, 2022
Signed by Doug Ducey
SignedMarch 30, 2022
Legislative history
First chamber: Arizona Senate
IntroducedJanuary 13, 2022
First reading January 13, 2022
Second reading January 18, 2022
Third reading February 2, 2022
Voting summary
  • 16 voted for
  • 13 voted against
  • 1 present not voting
Second chamber: Arizona House of Representatives
Received from the Arizona Senate February 2, 2022
First readingFebruary 28, 2022
Second readingMarch 1, 2022
Third readingMarch 24, 2022
Voting summary
  • 31 voted for
  • 24 voted against
  • 5 present not voting
Summary
Modifies the definitions of gender in relation to education and sports to prohibit people from competing in sports differing from their biological sex in all public and most private schools.
Status: Disallowed

Arizona Senate Bill 1165 (SB 1165), also known as the Save Women's Sports Act, is a 2022 law in the state of Arizona that prohibits transgender people from competing in sports that differ from their biological sex. It was signed into law by Governor Doug Ducey on March 30, 2022, along with Senate Bill 1138, which relates to sex reassignment surgery. [1] According to the Arizona Interscholastics Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, between 2017 and 2022, only 16 transgender students out of over 170,000 are known to have requested to be allowed to compete in sports. [2]

Contents

A lawsuit was filed against the law in 2023, with Attorney General Kris Mayes refusing to defend the law in court. [3] The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the partial injunction against the law on September 9, 2024, allowing the two plaintiffs in the case to continue playing sports aligning with their gender identity. [4] On July 3, 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States refused to hear the case, though the court agreed to hear cases from Idaho and West Virginia due to their similar laws. [5]

Provisions

Senate Bill 1165 prohibits transgender people from competing in sports that differ from their biological sex by narrowing the definition of gender in relation to education. [2] It requires schools to designate separate male and female teams. [1] It applies to public and private schools, but only applies to the latter if they compete against public schools in sports. [6]

Reactions

Support

Governor Ducey, who signed the bill into law, stated that it was to protect women in sports. He would go on to say that he still wanted to protect transgender people in the state. [7] All Republican legislators in the state voted for Senate Bill 1165. [8]

Opposition

California Attorney General Rob Bonta restricted state-funded travel to Arizona shortly following its passage. [9] The Human Rights Campaign criticized Governor Ducey for signing the bill into law. [2] The National Women's Law Center, along with 34 other legal firms, filed an amicus brief in opposition to the law in court. [10] The Phoenix Union High School District approved a resolution in May 2022 opposing the law. [11] The ACLU of Arizona also criticized Governor Ducey for signing the bill into law, referring to it as unconstitutional. [12]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Birzer, Dani (2022-03-30). "Arizona governor signs two bills impacting transgender minors". Arizona's Family. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
  2. 1 2 3 Rebecca Gomez, Gloria (2022-03-30). "Ducey signs anti-trans laws barring medical treatment, sports participation". Arizona Mirror. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
  3. ↑ Stevenson, Camaron (2023-05-08). "Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes Won't Defend Anti-Trans Sports Law". The Copper Courier. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
  4. ↑ Danagher, Kennedy (2024-09-10). "US appeals court confirms district count decision on transgender sports bans". JURIST. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
  5. ↑ Hahne, Greg (2025-07-03). "Supreme Court declines to hear Arizona transgender sports case, but will rule on similar laws". 91.5 KJZZ Phoenix. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
  6. ↑ Gómez, Laura (2022-01-20). "Senate committee approves measure targeting transgender girls in school sports". Arizona Mirror. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
  7. ↑ Garcia, Nicole; Bennett, Stephanie; Cooper, Johnathan (2022-03-31). "Parent of transgender child speaks out after Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signs anti-trans bills". FOX 10 Phoenix. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
  8. ↑ Rebecca Gomez, Gloria (2022-03-24). "GOP lawmakers send Ducey bills banning gender surgery, girls' sports for trans kids". Arizona Mirror. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
  9. ↑ Symon, Evan (2022-07-01). "AG Bonta Restricts Four More States for State-Funded Travel Over Anti-LGBTQ Policies". California Globe. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
  10. ↑ Perino, Auden (2023-10-16). "Why Arizona's Anti-Trans Sports Ban Harms All Women and Girls". National Women's Law Center. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
  11. ↑ Rebecca Gomez, Gloria (2022-05-11). "Phoenix Union High School District announces support of trans students, denounces anti-trans legislation". Arizona Mirror. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
  12. ↑ "ACLU of Arizona Reacts to Gov. Ducey Signing Anti-Trans Bill, SB 1165, Into Law". ACLU of Arizona. Phoenix, Arizona. 2022-03-30. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
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