トランス選手の女子競技参加禁止、米下院が法案可決

【ワシントンＡＦＰ＝時事】共和党が多数を占める米下院は２０日、トランスジェンダーの生徒や学生が女子スポーツに参加することを禁じる法案を可決した。（写真は米国議会議事堂に向かって行進する、性的少数者の権利を訴える人々。資料写真。）
　共和党はトランスジェンダーをめぐる教育関連の規制を推進して物議を醸しており、その方針を浮き彫りにする動きとなった。同様の規制は州レベルでは成立しており、それを全米規模に拡大させる狙いだ。
　同法案は、連邦政府の資金を受ける学校（実質的に全校）において「性別が男性の人が、女子もしくは女性のために指定されている体育プログラムや活動に参加すること」を禁止し、性を「出生時の生殖器官と遺伝的要素のみに基づくもの」として認識することを目的としている。
　ただし、民主党が多数派の上院を通過する可能性は低く、ホワイトハウスもジョー・バイデン大統領がいずれにしても拒否権を発動すると述べている。
　トランスジェンダー選手をめぐる問題は、男性から女性へ性別変更した競泳のリア・トーマスが全米大学体育協会選手権の女子部門で優勝を果たし、議論を巻き起こした件を中心に表面化した。
　世界のスポーツ団体も、この問題に関する方針を決め始めている。３月下旬にはワールドアスレティックス（世界陸連）が、男性として思春期を過ごしたトランスジェンダー選手について、世界ランキングの対象となっている女子大会への出場を禁止した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/04/21-16:39）

The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives voted Thursday to bar transgender athletes from joining women's school and university sports teams, hoping to expand similar state-level bans to the entire United States.
The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act will likely not be taken up by the Senate, where Democrats have a majority, and the White House has said in any case that President Joe Biden would veto it.
But the move highlights Republicans' increasing interest in pushing through controversial education-related bans that in their view will protect youth.
We must protect the integrity of women's sports, said the bill's sponsor, Republican Greg Steube of Florida.
Railing against a perversion in our culture by the enemy, Steube argued that for millennia we have recognized as a species that there are women, and there are men who are obviously biologically different.
His bill prohibits schools that receive federal funding -- practically all in the United States -- from allowing anyone whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls, and only recognizes a person's reproductive biology and genetics at birth.
This hot-button issue has crystallized around the case of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, who was born male and competed as a man before winning a college championship against women.
In addition to restrictions on school athletics, several Republican-led states in recent months have also passed bans on minors receiving gender-transition treatments.
Like those measures, the bill passed Thursday with only Republican votes sparked outrage from Democrats, who argued that it would further marginalize people who are already disproportionately the target of harassment.
Don't believe for a minute that this is about protecting women and girls, said Representative Pramila Jayapal.
This bill fuels a virulent hate campaign against kids who just want to play with their friends, added the progressive Democrat from Washington state.
- 'Dire consequences' -
She warned that the bill was an attack on transgender children that also has dire consequences.
Over half of transgender youth have had suicidal thoughts in their lifetime and 31 percent have made at least one suicide attempt, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
They are also more prone to depression, anxiety, eating disorders, risky behavior and self-harm than the rest of the teenage population.
Global sporting bodies have begun to make decisions on the issue, with the World Athletics association opting in late March to bar transgender athletes who had gone through male puberty from competing in female world ranking competitions.
The Biden administration has sought to find a compromise on the issue, proposing a federal rule in early April that would prevent schools from implementing outright bans, allowing some limits on transgender athletes' participation in competitions.
Under the proposal, a school might, for example have difficulty keeping a transgender student from playing in an elementary school sports match meant to emphasize teamwork, but could potentially ban such athletes from competitive high school matches.