Content warning: this article discusses transphobia.

The Texas State House and Senate approved a bill restricting transgender student athletes from K-12 sports, following House sessions on Thursday, Oct. 14, and Senate sessions on Friday, Oct. 15. Filed by Representative Valoree Swanson in September 2021, House Bill 25 aims to “[require] public school students to compete in interscholastic athletic competitions based on biological sex.” The bill passed through the house 76-54, with one abstained vote.

House Bill 25 is the fourth piece of legislation introduced this year that concerns transgender children in Texas. Prior legislative motions recorded by the Texas Legislature included multiple bills akin to failed House Bill 1399, which aimed to specifically restrict insurance coverage of transgender healthcare procedures. House Bill 25 does not target medical care, but requires the legal affirmation of the sex listed on the child’s birth certificate to determine which sports team they’re allowed to play on.