The Michigan House of Representatives approved two controversial bills Thursday that would restrict transgender girls from participating in female school sports teams.
House Bill 4066 mandates that schools designate sports teams by sex, prohibiting individuals identified as male based on biological factors from joining female teams.
Its companion legislation, House Bill 4469, amends the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to specify eligibility requirements for K-12 school athletics based on original birth certificates.
Only one Democrat voted in favor of House Bill 4469. No Democrats supported House Bill 4066.
Republican State Rep. Rylee Linting of Wyandotte defended the legislation during floor debate.
“There are biological differences between men and women, and those differences matter when it comes to the integrity of women’s sports,” said Linting.
Democratic State Rep. Carrie A. Rheingans of Ann Arbor highlighted the impact of the bills on young people.
“We are demonizing children with these bills. We are punching down on the most vulnerable in society, and for what?” said Rheingans during floor debate.
Democratic Floor Leader John Fitzgerald characterized the legislation as dangerous in a House Democrat press conference following the votes.
“What we did today was dangerous, having a bill passed out of this house that does erode civil rights,” said Fitzgerald.
The bills face significant challenges in the Michigan Senate, where Democrats hold the majority.
“My hope is that we brought some attention to this very important issue. We are showing our young women how much we care about them, that we are willing to stand up for them,” Linting said.
Civil rights organizations, including the ACLU of Michigan, have voiced strong opposition to the legislation.
“Banning trans kids from playing sports not only violates their civil rights to be treated equally to all other children - it is just plain wrong. All kids, regardless of their gender identity, deserve love, support, and encouragement,” the ACLU of Michigan said in a statement.
According to the Michigan High School Athletic Association, only two waivers have been approved for trans girls to participate in girls’ sports this school year.
And that’s out of 170,000 student-athletes at the association’s member schools.
MHSAA has yet to update its policy after President Donald Trump‘s executive order barring transgender girls from participating in women’s sports.
A MHSAA spokesperson Thursday (May 22) referred Local 4 to the association’s statement released in March, which said, “We are monitoring developments in this regard closely, including federal litigation challenging the recent Executive Order and potential changes to state law that have been introduced in the Michigan legislature.”
HB 4066: https://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2025-2026/billintroduced/House/pdf/2025-HIB-4066.pdf
HB 4469: https://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2025-2026/billintroduced/House/pdf/2025-HIB-4469.pdf
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