Texas Democrats Kill Bill On Student Transgender Athletes By Stalling Through ‘Pass Or Die’ Deadline

Texas Democrats stalled a vote on a bill regarding student transgender athletes until the “pass or die” deadline expired Tuesday, according to the Guardian.

Senate Bill 29 was passed by the Texas Senate and needed approval from the House. The bill would require that student athletes compete according to their gender assigned at birth, the Guardian reported.

House Democrats intentionally ran out the clock by excessively asking questions and suggesting amendments. In result, the session hit the “pass or die” deadline and the bill died, the Guardian reported.

35 similar bills aimed at legislating trans participation in school sports have also died in 2021, the Guardian reported. (RELATED: Gov. McMaster: NCAA ‘Ought To Mind Their Own Business’ About Regulations On Trans Athletes)

The ACLU of Texas celebrated the death of the bill in a tweet Wednesday.

At midnight, the final anti-trans bill at #txlege died. Thank you to the countless trans student-athletes, parents, and advocates for your work to #StopSB29 and #ProtectTransKids. ????️‍⚧️ https://t.co/gs2E0iNMgE

— ACLU of Texas (@ACLUTx) May 26, 2021

“At midnight, the final anti-trans bill at #txlege died. Thank you to the countless trans student-athletes, parents, and advocates for your work to #StopSB29 and #ProtectTransKids,” the ACLU said.

“As a community, we must continue to fight for the rights of all Texans to exist without fear of discrimination and exclusion. Although #SB29 will not become law, the mere debate around the humanity of trans children has caused irreparable harm,” the ACLU continued. 

SB 29 is the third bill pertaining to trans people to be quashed in the Texas state legislature this session. SB 1646 would have established gender-affirming medical care as child abuse, but it never progressed past a House committee. SB 1311 aimed to remove licenses from healthcare providers who gave gender-affirming care. The bill never passed the House due to a delay, according to the Guardian.

Several bills were passed in 2021 to bar transgender athletes from competing on sports teams of the opposite sex. The Mississippi state legislature passed a bill banning transgender athletes from competing on women’s sports teams. The Alabama legislature also voted to disallow trans athletes from girls’ teams. In March, Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill requiring athletes to compete according to their biological sex.

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