More than 10 hours after opening debate on a bill that would ban transgender girls from women’s sports teams in Alaska, the Alaska House of Representatives remained mired in the issue Saturday night.
With the legislative session set to end on Wednesday, the prolonged debate has forced the postponement of other priority work, including legislation addressing crime, a pending energy crisis along the Rail Belt and other education topics.
Republican members of the House, with one exception, support the bill, while a coalition of Democrats, independents and a Republican have promised to use all means possible to defeat it.
The result on Saturday was a heavy-handed legislative process, akin to trench warfare, that saw the bill’s supporters defeated or presented amendments to the opposition one by one for hours.
“We’re doing this on behalf of women, young women and girls who would like to participate in women’s sports,” said Rep. David Eastman, R-Wasilla.
The bill’s supporters do not believe that transgender women are women, and allowing transgender girls to participate on women’s sports teams would mean that “there would be no more women’s sports to participate in, which would be a disappointment,” he said.
Opponents of the bill argued passionately and sometimes emotionally that transgender women are women and deserve equal treatment under the law.
“Trans girls in sports are not a threat to any other girls,” said Rep. Donna Mears, D-Anchorage.
Opposition lawmakers had known for months that the bill would likely advance to the House floor and prepared dozens of amendments in an attempt to kill the bill, prolonging the debate.
On Saturday morning, with the majority of the House ready to present these changes without discussion, opposition lawmakers became furious and refused to vote, paralyzing the process.
“If you want to set this precedent of just introducing minority amendments because you don’t like them, you will reap what you sow for years to come,” said House Minority Leader Calvin Schrage, I-Anchorage.
That statement raised voices from House Republicans who saw it as a personal threat against House Speaker Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla, and told Schrage he should “take it out” with them.
“You brought this to us! You are the majority. You said this is your priority. Give us the right to stand up for the children in our districts that you are harming because of this,” said Rep. Jennie Armstrong, D-Anchorage, shouting into the House chambers.
“Yes, well, you are discriminating against women!” said Rep. Jamie Allard, R-Eagle River, shouting back.
“I’m a woman, Jamie!” Armstrong responded, even louder.
A short break brought more interruptions and delays.
“You’re making a mockery of this,” said Rep. Kevin McCabe, R-Big Lake.
“You are making a mockery of this bill,” Armstrong said.
“Oh, stop,” said McCabe.
“It is not a bill. It’s an attack on our state’s children!” Armstrong responded.
Armstrong, who identifies as bisexual, and Democratic Rep. Andrew Gray, a gay man from Anchorage, are among the bill’s most ardent opponents, as is Rep. Alyse Galvin, I-Anchorage, who has a transgender daughter.
“One of my four daughters doesn’t enter this building. She is very uncomfortable here. It breaks my heart,” Galvin said.
After Armstrong’s heated arguments, Tilton and Schrage negotiated a deal that allowed the opposition to table some amendments.
The compromise agreement set a strict time limit for each lawmaker to speak on an amendment, but even with that restriction, each amendment took 15 minutes or more, and there were dozens of them.
The project’s supporters, to save time, declined to talk about each proposal. That left the floor open to opponents of the bill, who said the bill implicates the state’s constitutional right to privacy. It would require girls to prove that their gender at birth – as indicated on their birth certificate and medical exams – matches their gender identity.
“When women are asked to give up their constitutional rights to play sports…it’s a shame that this is where we think we should be on Legislative Day 117,” said Rep. Sara Hannan, D-Juneau.
Opposition lawmakers have repeatedly offered procedural off-ramps to members of the majority, saying they were willing to drop the issue if the majority was willing.
But most Republicans voted against calls to introduce and indefinitely delay the bill, keeping the debate ongoing.
As the debate dragged on into the night, lawmakers recognized an important fact: Even after the amendments were finalized, the final vote on the bill itself would not take place until the next legislative day, promising further delays.
“There is so much hate out there. Why would we move forward with a bill that would only allow more hate and discrimination? It’s crazy,” Schrage said.
GET THE MORNING NEWS DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
