The fourth time was the charm for HB 25. On three previous occasions the legislature failed to pass the bill that would prohibit students born as biological males from participating on girls’ teams.  But in the third special session, it happened. 

In reality, this bill changes very little.  The UIL already has a rule in place about this.  The rule is simple: if your birth certificate says you are a boy, then you are a boy.  If it says you are a girl, then you are a girl.  But the legislature wanted to prevent parents from getting that original birth certificate changed to switch sex from M to F or F to M.  Not that this happens very often, but it does happen.  Wrapping themselves in the cloak of Title IX, citing a desire to remedy the effects of past discrimination against girls, the legislature passed HB 25 which will disallow any altered birth certificate unless it was altered to correct a clerical error. 

That is not at all how the federal government interprets Title IX.  So we are all set up for more litigation over this.  Isn’t it interesting to live in Texas in 2021?

DAWG BONE:   STAY TUNED. THIS AIN’T OVER.

Got a question or comment for the Dawg?  Let me hear from you at jwalsh@wabsa.com. 

Tomorrow: Toolbox Tuesday!!