WATCH: Protecting women's sports in Indiana
Campus Reform Correspondent Kyle Reynolds addressed a new law in Indiana that bans men from competing in women's sports.
Campus Reform Reporter Alexa Schwerha spoke with Campus Reform Correspondent Kyle Reynolds about a controversial Indiana bill that regulates athletic competition by biological sex, preemptively banning men from competing against women.
House Bill 1041 was vetoed by Republican Governor Eric Holcomb in March. However, it was passed into law after a majority of lawmakers in both chambers voted to override the ruling.
”Obviously, with athletes like Lia Thomas we have seen that biological males can gain a huge advantage if transitioning and competing against female athletes,” Reynolds said. “So, personally, I was very disappointed with our governor when he vetoed that bill.”
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Reynolds is a rising senior at Indiana University- Bloomington. According to Reynolds, the debate over gender identity is not discussed on campus because it is widely accepted that students can use facilities based on how they identify.
The notion that students can use facilities that align with their gender identity applied to sports teams, bathrooms, and dorms, Reynolds said, and it is rarely contradicted on campus.
”There’s this very monolithic culture where if you don’t support whatever the progressive party line is at the moment, then you’re seen as bigoted,” he stated. “Students fear academic repercussions, they fear consequences from the administration, so it’s really not being talked about.”
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However, Reynolds implored students to not be afraid of potential censorship. Instead, he expressed there is a need for more students to show support for non-”radical” policies.
”There are still students, there are still individuals out there who don’t share this radical opinion on gender identity, who believe in a traditional sense of gender,” he stated.
Since the Indiana bill was passed into law, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards allowed a similar bill to become law without signature.
Edwards stated that while he does not support the legislation, a veto would be ineffective as the legislature had the votes to override any rejection.
Watch the full interview above.
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