Student genital inspection likely to be scrapped from Ohio school sports bill, Senate pres says

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An Ohio bill calling for student athletes to undergo genital examination if their sex is questioned will likely be changed to remove that requirement, the State Senate’s president said.

The bill, HB151, is geared toward ensuring equal opportunities for male and female student athletes and says that for single-sex competitions, members of the opposite sex would not be allowed to participate. It provides that in the event someone disputes whether a competitor is of the right sex, the student would have to provide confirmation in the form of a doctor’s note based on their "internal and external reproductive anatomy," as well as their testosterone levels and genetic makeup.

"I’m not sure why that’s in the bill, it’s unnecessary," State Senate President Matt Huffman said about the genital inspection requirement. "All of these tests can be done with a simple DNA swab."

Huffman addressed the issue after it was raised during the question and answer period of a City Club of Cleveland event featuring former U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

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Huffman said that the bill was passed by the Ohio House "in the dead of night without conversation with any of the senators," and that it will not be passed in its current form. He said that while the genital inspection provision is "a highlight that a lot of people like to talk about because it outrages a lot of people … it’s not necessary, it’s not going to happen."

Huffman did agree that the issue of sex and athletics needs to be addressed in the Buckeye State, and said the State Senate will do so.