Sen. Elizabeth Warren — Photo: Gage Skidmore / Flickr
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren has branded a proposed ban on transgender student athletes in Arizona “cruel.”
Warren responded on Twitter to Republican state Rep. Nancy Barto’s “Save Women’s Sports Act,” which last week was approved by an Arizona House committee and will be voted on over the coming weeks.
The bill, which applies to K-12 schools, community colleges, and state universities, would allow only those assigned female at birth to compete on female athletic teams.
If a person’s gender identity were called into question, that athlete would be required to obtain a doctor’s note proving they are female before being allowed to compete.
The bill would also allow cisgender female students who believe they’ve missed out on athletic opportunities because of transgender inclusion on a school team to file lawsuits seeking redress.
“Trans athletes are not a threat,” Warren tweeted. “We need to protect trans kids — and all LGBTQ+ kids — and ensure they feel safe and welcomed at school. I urge the Arizona legislature to reject this cruel bill.”
Trans athletes are not a threat. We need to protect trans kids—and all LGBTQ+ kids—and ensure they feel safe and welcomed at school. I urge the Arizona legislature to reject this cruel bill. https://t.co/9ALVjeIBiv
Barto previously defended her bill by saying, “Science is what it is. The difference between males and females is obvious.”
Opponents of the bill, including Arizona Democrats, argue that the measure will effectively ban transgender females from participating in sports altogether, as they may not want to compete against cisgender males, and could be putting themselves at risk of abuse or harassment by teammates if they were to compete on male sports teams.
Republicans in Georgia, Tennessee, and Washington state are pushing such bans for the 2020 legislative session.
Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, told the Arizona Republic that there is “a reason these bills are popping up simultaneously.”
“There have been no problems with this issue in Arizona. This isn’t responding to an issue that students are having in Arizona. This is a national campaign to use this issue — sadly — to just polarize and divide people,” Minter said.
For Warren, it’s the latest example of support for the transgender community. Last week, she used nonbinary-inclusive terms in a tweet discussing a potential vice presidential pick, and the Massachusetts senator includes her preferred pronouns in her Twitter bio.
I want to tell you exactly the kind of vice president I want: Someone who will be in this fight alongside me for your families. Someone who feels this fight passionately—and who brings his, her, or their own energy to get it done. #CNNTownHall
Warren has also repeatedly highlighted the epidemic of violence against transgender women — particularly trans women of color — in the United States, including reading out the names of women who have been killed and raising the issue of anti-trans violence during Democratic debates.
During a debate in December, Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders were asked what they would do to “stop violence against transgender people.”
While Sanders pivoted to discussing Medicare for All, Warren pledged to “go to the Rose Garden once every year to read the names of transgender women, of people of color, who have been killed in the past year.”
“I will make sure that we read their names so that as a nation we are forced to address the particular vulnerability on homelessness,” Warren said. “I will change the rules now that put people in prison based on their birth sex identification rather than their current identification.”
She added: “I will do everything I can to make sure that we are an America that leaves no one behind.”
Like other candidates seeking the Democratic nomination, Warren has also committed to reverse Donald Trump’s ban on transgender people serving openly in the U.S. military, branding the ban “shameful” in a tweet last year.
Put on your ruby slippers to strut down the red carpet as we ask what queerness means for Academy Awards voters past and present.
By Paul Klein
March 1, 2025
On March 2, Hollywood's elite will gather at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles for the glitziest night of the year -- The 97th Academy Awards. When the Oscar-cast goes live on ABC Sunday evening -- and, for the first time ever, simultaneously streams on Hulu -- seven LGBTQ individuals will sit in hushed anticipation at the possibility of winning Hollywood's highest honors.
For a body often criticized for its lack of diversity and inclusivity, and with the arts under a prolonged political attack from far-right politicians, Sunday night offers a number of potentially groundbreaking moments for queer representation in front of and behind the screen.
A newly introduced Republican bill in Texas seeks to criminalize anyone who identifies as transgender.
Introduced by State Rep. Tom Oliverson (R-Cypress), the bill would amend the Texas Penal Code to create a new form of fraud known as "gender identity fraud."
Under the bill, if a person makes a "false or misleading verbal or written statement" to a government entity or a private employer asserting that their gender is the opposite of the biological sex assigned to the person at birth, that person could be charged with a felony, could serve up to two years in prison, and be fined $10,000.
A federal judge issued a nationwide order blocking a pair of executive orders from President Donald Trump seeking to criminalize the provision of gender-affirming health care to transgender youth.
U.S. District Judge Brendan Hurson, of the District of Maryland, granted a preliminary injunction to the families of several transgender young adults and adolescents whose access to gender-affirming care was disrupted by Trump's orders. Those families are joined by the pro-LGBTQ advocacy group PFLAG National and GLMA, the country's largest organization of LGBTQ and allied health professionals.
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.