OK Lawmaker files 'Save Men's Sports Act' 

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KFOR) – This week an Oklahoma lawmaker filed the “Save Men’s Sports Act.” 

“Unfortunately, a lot of these sports events are being used as political activism, and it's very disruptive to the classroom. It's very disruptive to the sports program,” said State Sen. Shane Jett, R-Shawnee. “Keep your culture wars outside of the classroom.”

Senate Bill 1007 states, “Athletic teams designated for ‘males’, ‘men’, or ‘boys’ shall not be open to students of the female sex.”

The measure comes about a year after Governor Kevin Stitt signed the “Save Women’s Sports Act” into law, barring anyone born a male from competing on a women’s sports team. 

“Male sports are one category, female sports, another category and then you have coed," said Sen. Jett. 

However, it’s a bill advocates for the LGBTQ+ community aren’t happy to see again. 

“It singles out trans student athletes both at the high school and collegiate level," said Cindy Nguyen, the policy director at the ACLU of Oklahoma. “Oklahomans have better things to worry about. If Senator Jett really wanted to address equity in sports, he would talk about funding resources, pay equity…"

Advocates for women’s sports think it's unnecessary. 

 "We've never had men's sports as a protected category because honestly, they don't need it," said Kim Jones, the co-founder of ICONS, or the Independent Council on Women’s Sports. “When a woman participates in a contact sport, she's putting herself at risk and as long as she's aware of the risk to those things, it's a very different situation." 

According to the bill, before each school year the parent or legal guardian of a student who competes on a school athletic team will have to sign an affidavit acknowledging the biological sex of the student at birth. If the student is 18 years old or older, that student will have to fill out the affidavit. 

Senator Jett says schools could face repercussions if the measure passes and the rules aren’t followed. 

“If they're violating this, then they can be dismissed. There can be punitive actions against them,” said Sen. Jett.

If passed, the law will go into effect on July 1, 2023, according to the bill.  

If you or someone you know needs help or support, The Trevor Project’s trained crisis counselors are available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386, via chat at TheTrevorProject.org/Get-Help, or by texting START to 678678.