A week after the Florida House approved a bill restricting transgender athletes, a companion bill promoted by a Lakeland legislator appears stalled.
Sen. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, said Tuesday that she doesn’t expect the bill she sponsored (SB 2012) to advance in this year’s session. Stargel’s legislation differs from the bill that passed the House last week on a mostly party-line vote, with virtually all Democrats opposed.
That bill, sponsored by Rep. Kaylee Tuck, R-Lake Placid, requires all transgender students to compete in sports only on teams corresponding to their birth gender, Stargel’s bill would use testosterone levels to determine if transgender girls and women can play in sports that match their identified sex. She said it is based on rules developed by the International Olympic Committee.