Kentucky Senate Bill 83

Last updated
Kentucky Senate Bill 83
Seal of Kentucky.svg
Kentucky General Assembly
  • AN ACT relating to athletics.
Citation
Territorial extentFlag of Kentucky.svg  Kentucky
Enacted by Kentucky Senate
Enacted by Kentucky House of Representatives
Vetoed by Andy Beshear
VetoedApril 6, 2022
Veto overriddenApril 16, 2022
Effective July 14, 2022
Legislative history
First chamber: Kentucky Senate
Introduced by Robby Mills [1]
IntroducedJanuary 11, 2022
First reading February 10, 2022
Second reading February 11, 2022
Third reading February 16, 2022
Voting summary
  • 27 voted for
  • 8 voted against
  • 3 absent
Second chamber: Kentucky House of Representatives
Received from the Kentucky Senate February 17, 2022
First readingMarch 10, 2022
Second readingMarch 11, 2022
Third readingMarch 17, 2022
Voting summary
  • 70 voted for
  • 23 voted against
  • 7 absent
Final stages
Reconsidered by the Kentucky Senate after vetoApril 13, 2022
Voting summary
  • 29 voted for
  • 8 voted against
  • 1 absent
Reconsidered by the Kentucky House of Representatives after vetoApril 13, 2022
Voting summary
  • 72 voted for
  • 23 voted against
  • 5 absent
Summary
Bans transgender Kentuckians, specifically those assigned male at birth, from competing in girls' sports.
Status: In force

Kentucky Senate Bill 83 (SB 83), also known as the Save Women's Sports Act or Fairness in Women's Sports Act, is a 2022 law in the state of Kentucky that prohibits transgender women from competing in women's sports. [2] It was vetoed by Governor Andy Beshear on April 6, 2022, but was overridden on April 13, 2022. [3] [4] It became law on July 14, 2022. [5] [6]

Contents

The bill specifically targets transgender women and girls. Senate Bill 83 allows anybody regardless of sex or gender to compete in male or coed sports, but prohibits those assigned male at birth from competing in girls' sports. [7] The Kentucky High School Athletic Association already had regulations on transgender athlete competition prior to Senate Bill 83, requiring a certain amount of time on hormone replacement therapy prior to being allowed to compete. [8] Only one transgender girl, Fischer Wells, is known to have been competing in girls' sports in Kentucky at the time SB 83 passed. [9] [10] [11] [12]

Provisions

Senate Bill 83 prohibits anybody assigned male at birth from competing in girls' sports. [13] It applies to both K-12 schools and colleges in Kentucky. [14] It specifically determines eligibility based on birth certificates. [15]

Reactions

Support

Riley Gaines, a professional swimmer, supported Senate Bill 83 when it was under debate, stating that there were biological differences between those assigned male or female at birth that could not be ignored. [16] [17]

Opposition

The Human Rights Campaign and the ACLU of Kentucky opposed SB 83. [18] [19]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Clark, Jess (2022-02-10). "Ky. lawmakers advance bill to keep trans girls off girls sports teams". Louisville Public Media. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  2. ↑ Watkins, Morgan (2022-03-25). "Transgender sports ban bill passes in Kentucky. Here's what to know". Courier Journal. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  3. ↑ Lavietes, Matt (2022-04-13). "Kentucky Legislature overrides governor's veto of transgender sports ban". NBC News. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  4. ↑ Krauth, Olivia (2024-07-24). "From Vetoes to VP Potential: How Gov. Andy Beshear has protected Queer Kentuckians". Queer Kentucky. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  5. ↑ Presta, Alexandra (2022-07-12). "GUIDE: New Ky. laws going into effect on Thursday". lex18.com. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  6. ↑ "Several new Kentucky state laws take effect". 14 News. 2022-07-17. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  7. ↑ "Gov. Beshear vetoes bill involving trans girls, sports". lex18.com. 2022-04-06. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  8. ↑ Cole, Devan (2022-04-06). "Kentucky's Democratic governor vetoes anti-trans sports ban". CNN. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  9. ↑ Balingit, Moriah (2022-08-25). "Kentucky's lone transgender athlete can't play on the team she helped start". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  10. ↑ Kelly, Erin (2022-06-13). "What's next for Ky. student who spoke on trans sports bill". Spectrum News 1. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  11. ↑ Krauth, Olivia (2022-02-10). "Kentucky bill banning transgender girls from girls teams advances". Courier Journal. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  12. ↑ Lang, Nico (2022-04-14). "Kentucky banned trans kids from sports to keep this 12-year-old girl from playing hockey". XtraMagazine. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  13. ↑ Avila, Alejandro (2022-04-14). "Kentucky Bill Prohibiting Trans Athletes In School Sports Voted Into Law". OutKick. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  14. ↑ Archie, Ayana (2022-04-08). "Kentucky governor vetoes bill banning transgender students from women's sports". NPR. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  15. ↑ Helwig, Alexa (2022-03-25). "Kentucky lawmakers send transgender athlete bill to governor". ABC 7 On Your Side. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  16. ↑ McClanahan, Gil (2022-04-14). "Ky. Senate overrides veto of Fairness in Women's Sports Act; UK swimmer voices her opinion". wchstv.com. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  17. ↑ Rogers, Zachary (2022-09-28). "Swimmer who raced Lia Thomas says Biden admin policies are 'absolutely not pro-women'". ABC 7 On Your Side. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  18. ↑ Berg-Brousseau, Henry (2022-04-13). "HRC | BREAKING: Kentucky General Assembly Overrides Gov. Beshear's Veto of Anti-Trans Sports Ban". Human Rights Campaign. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  19. ↑ Crankshaw, Samuel (2022-04-13). "Statement on New Law to Ban Trans Girls from Girls' Sports, Senate Bill 83". ACLU of Kentucky. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
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