People running on an athletics track. (Pexels/Snapwire)

A bill that would bar transgender students from girls sports teams and force girls whose gender is questioned to submit to a genital examination was dealt a heavy blow by lawmakers last week.

New Hampshire politicians voted 13-7 to kill off the bill, saying it is “inexpedient to legislate”.

House Bill 1251 would bar transgender athletes from girls sports teams with a requirement that participants be cisgender.

The bill would mean that any female athlete whose gender was called into question would need to “prove” their sex via an analysis of their chromosomes, medical testing of their testosterone levels, and an examination of their external genitalia.

According to the sponsors of the bill, all 11 of whom are Republicans, this is necessary to protect “fairness in sport”, because they claim that trans athletes have an unfair physical advantage.

While Republicans said that passing the bill would preserve opportunities for female athletes, Democrats said it would take away opportunities for trans girls, an already marginalised group.

“I have to tell you, I’m really outraged by this bill,” said Rosemarie Rung, a Merrimack Democrat.

“I read where in primary school, a fourth grader who may identify as a female would have to be subject to internal and external reproductive anatomy. An analysis of the individual’s chromosomes.”

Currently there is no state-level guidance on trans students participation in sports, but many already play for female sports teams.

The New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association has previously issued guidance to schools urging them to include trans girls on female sports teams.

“This really is a wolf’s in sheep’s clothing,” said Stephen Woodcock, a Conway Democrat. “This is about not allowing transgender youth to participate.”

A separate lawsuit seeking to bar trans girls from student sports on the basis they have an unfair physical advantage was seriously undermined last month, when one of the cisgender girls bringing the case beat her trans rival in a race.

The New Hampshire bill has been blasted by Democrats and LGBT+ activists, who point out that it would discriminate against trans athletes and could make trans students feel isolated.

They also argue that House Bill 1251 would set New Hampshire back, after gains made for LGBT+ rights in the past two years.

In May 2018, New Hampshire became the first Republican-controlled state to pass trans rights protections, and a year later it became the 13th US state to add an X gender option to drivers licenses.

House Bill 1251 will be taken up by the full House at a later date.