Last Updated Dec 19th, 2019 at 6:05 pm

The Tennessee legislature is considering mandating that schools adopt a strict "biological sex" policy when structuring school sports, a move meant to ensure that young men who believe they are girls do not compete in girl's sports divisions, and vice versa.

Republican state Rep. Bruce Griffey, the lead sponsor of the bill, said that it is "important for states to take a stand" on this issue. Griffey said transgender athletes have seen recent success in gendered sport competitions "to the detriment of girls and women." He argued that boys and men have a natural advantage at sports due to elevated testosterone levels.

The bill, if it becomes law, would stipulate that any school that refuses to divide its sporting events based strictly on sex would be denied public funds from state and local governments. School officials who participate in the violation of the law would also face penalties such as thousands of dollars in fines and the loss of their jobs.