A Virginia lawmaker introduced a bill that would bar transgender athletes through high school in the state from competing on sports teams that are inconsistent with their birth identity.
The bill builds upon a less-restrictive legislation that failed to pass last session.
Del. Karen Greenhalgh, a Republican representing Virginia Beach, filed Tuesday a bill that would amend existing state law so that public school students undergo a physical examination to determine whether they are "physically fit" for competition. The examination includes consideration of a student's sex assigned at birth.
The bill also mandates that school sports teams through college be designated according to "biological sex" rather than gender. However, collegiate athletes will not have physicals.
"Each interscholastic, intramural, or club athletic team or sports sponsored by a public school that is expressly designed for 'females,' 'women,' or 'girls' … shall not be open to any student whose biological sex is male," the bill states.
The measure does not stipulate any provisions for athletes assigned female at birth.
According to the bill, schools against the law will be barred from interscholastic athletic competition. It also creates grounds for a civil cause of action for a school or student who "suffers harm" due to a violation.
Greenhalgh's proposal includes protections for students who report a transgender athlete is in violation of the law.
Virginia is becoming known for its traditional gender stances. In September, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin introduced a series of education policies restricting transgender students from using preferred bathrooms and required parents to consent to their child changing their name or pronouns.
The Virginia General Assembly is set to convene on Jan. 12 for the 2023 legislative session. If Greenhalgh's bill becomes law, Virginia will join over a dozen states barring transgender athletes from competing in sports teams that are inconsistent with their birth identity.