Equity & Diversity

Calif. Bill Would Afford More Freedom to Transgender Student-Athletes

By Bryan Toporek — July 17, 2013 1 min read
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Transgender students in California would be permitted, based upon their gender identity, to choose which sex-segregated athletic team to join under a bill passed by the state legislature on July 3.

The bill, which now awaits a signature from Gov. Jerry Brown, would also allow transgender students to choose which school locker rooms and bathrooms to use. The author of the legislation, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, told the Associated Press that if Brown does sign the bill, it would mark the first time a state has mandated such protections through law.

Transgender students, for those unfamiliar with the term, are those whose gender identity does not align with their assigned, biological sex at birth. (

A version of this news article first appeared in the Schooled in Sports blog.