In a small but important win for sanity and common sense, the Arizona House of Representatives passed a bill that would ban males who identify as female from competing against girls and women in scholastic athletics.

The language of House Bill 2706, dubbed the Save Women's Sports Act, requires that "an interscholastic or intramural athletic team or sport that is sponsored by an educational institution in this state must be expressly designated as one of the following based on biological sex: males, men or boys; females, women or girls; coed or mixed sex."

The bill goes on to specifically affirm that "athletic teams or sports designated for females, women or girls may not be open to students of the male sex."

Currently, athletes are only required to appeal to the Arizona Interscholastic Association, which oversees school athletics, with their "transgender story" and "letters of support" to compete as whichever gender they choose.

By contrast, the GOP backed Save Women's Sports Act requires genetic proof of a competitor's sex.

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In a vote cast strictly along party lines, the bill passed 31-29 and goes to the state Senate for the next leg of its contentious battle.

Republican Rep. Nancy Barto proposed the bill in part because of a lawsuit brought by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a nonprofit organization based in Scottsdale, Arizona, on behalf of three female student-athletes, according to USA Today.

The Connecticut high school runners contend they were unfairly deprived of scholarship and other opportunities because they were forced to compete against boys.

Barto responded Wednesday to an outpouring of gratitude over the bill's passage, calling it a "group effort."

"This is about nothing more than keeping a level playing field for Womens sports!" she tweeted. "On to the Senate!"

Group effort staying on point. This is about nothing more than keeping a level playing field for Womens sports! On to the Senate! https://t.co/GM0CBsc35T — Nancy Barto (@NancyBarto) March 4, 2020

Rep. Kirsten Engel, a Democrat in the Arizona House, called the vote "shameful" and said the bill would injure "vulnerable" transgender youths -- forgetting, of course, about the girls who potentially face literal injury from their transgender competitors.

The vote tonight was shameful. Political points for Republicans at the cost of our most vulnerable kids, our transgender youth. I’m not proud of my State today. https://t.co/FhtWHHekRE — Rep. Kirsten Engel (@EngelForArizona) March 4, 2020

Somehow, in the hierarchy of the oppressed, transgenders enjoy higher status than the girls they are unfairly competing against.

Girls are deprived of titles, scholarships and a fair playing field because they are forced to compete with males who are stronger, faster and larger. They have these advantages because they were built that way regardless of what gender they identify with today.

The Save Women's Sports Act does nothing more than enshrine into law what previously was taken for granted as common sense.

Almost 250 years ago, the Founding Fathers included in the Declaration of Independence certain self-evident truths, with the understanding that some things don't require justification as they just "are."

America today needs the Arizona legislature and others to protect the obvious fact that male and female athletes are biologically different.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.