LGBTQ+ advocates fight trans sports bill in final hours

Feb. 27—CHEYENNE — Wyoming LGBTQ+ advocates spent the final hours before a Monday legislative deadline fighting a bill that would bar transgender girls from competing in sports.

They came before the House Appropriations Committee to voice their opposition to Senate File 133, which was re-referred for its fiscal note. There was nearly $1.1 million appropriated Friday for future litigation, a commission and diagnostic assessments in the amendments approved before the 5-4 vote in the House Education Committee.

Members of the Appropriations Committee had to hear public testimony and decide in the less than 30 minutes available for their meeting whether to uphold the funding, as well as pass the bill on to the House Committee of the Whole. There were two other bills to consider before SF 133, and pressure mounted in a room packed full of stakeholders waiting to see the outcome.

"The future of Wyoming is in the hands of the young people that you have paid to educate, that you paid to get degrees and certificates in hopes that they stay here and use their skills and tax dollars to boost the economy," said University of Wyoming student Riley Skorcz. "I hope that, when faced with the choice of voting for or against this bill, I hope that you look outside of the immediate or obvious impacts the bill implies. Not only is this bill addressing a problem that doesn't exist, it's a bad investment for the future of Wyoming economically."

Scores was joined by other bill opponents, who asked representatives if they would allow the Legislature to fund litigation that would allow discrimination against students, while arguing there wasn't enough funding for education. Others said the appropriation wasn't enough to fight the lawsuits that would result from the bill being passed.

Appropriations Committee

"During this session alone, this body has collectively told parents and students across the state of Wyoming that we don't have the money for school facilities or maintenance," said Wyoming resident Karyn Chin. "That we can't help parents catch a break for school supplies. That there isn't room in the budget for community colleges. That we can't help low-income families afford preschool, and we can't even make crosswalks safe in school zones."

"I find it indefensible for the Legislature to now say that Wyoming can find $1.1 million for legal funds just so we can unwind our children's civil rights."

There was one parent who showed their support. Erin Wazkiewicz said scare tactics were being used in the meeting to speculate about what the future would hold, and there were clear physical disadvantages for biological females competing against biological males.

"I want to look to the past, about the trailblazing that women before me have done to get equality in sports and other areas," she said. "If we allow biological males to compete with biological females, we will be turning the hands of the clock back decades on improvement, on equality for women."

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Bob Nicholas, R-Cheyenne, attempted to hear as much public testimony as he could, but quickly had to end it to go back to the chamber floor. He also told Wyoming Equality Director Sarah Burlingame there was no time to hear testimony later in the evening, because of the long day expected in the House.

Any bill not passed out of the House Appropriations Committee based upon the re-referral would die, and there were still only hours left for legislation waiting on general file.

Lawmakers in both chambers had to get through their crossover bills in the committee of the whole before the end of the day Monday, or else they would not move forward in the legislative process.

Committee members had little discussion on the bill before the vote, but the appropriation of $1 million for litigation was removed. Rep. Tom Walters, R-Casper, said there were funds available in the Attorney General's Office, and Friday's amendment would have pulled from the Governor's Office.

The amendment passed, and lawmakers voted 4-3 to allow it to go to the chamber floor, where a long list of legislation on general file remained.

Keep fighting

Advocates moved outside to the front of the Capitol for a news conference following the vote, and heard a call to action before heading back in. "We have just failed in House Appropriations to kill this dangerous bill, but it's not over. We've got a couple of hours," Burlingame said. "And between now and when they gavel out, you have the opportunity to do the things that we do in Wyoming. Show up for your neighbors. Right now, transgender and nonbinary kids all over the state are looking to this Capitol."

Burlingame urged attendees to show respect, and pull legislators out from the floor to tell them why it would be a shame to pass legislation that unfairly discriminates against transgender girls. And she wasn't alone.

Burlingame shared the podium with Santi Murillo and Rep. Karlee Provenza, D-Laramie, who spoke to their beliefs that SF 133 was unconstitutional, harmful and feeds into hatred.

"The rise of anti-LGBT legislation has one goal, and that's the erasure of trans people in public spaces," said Murillo, the first openly transgender woman to compete in sports at the University of Wyoming. "We have a responsibility to support our youth. To make them feel included. To teach them the values of teamwork and compassion."

She said that she wanted to use her experiences to stand up and implement change, in order to allow the younger generation to pursue their dreams without fear of rejection. She acknowledged her fellow transgender athletes in Wyoming, and said she was proud of them to have the bravery to live their truth at such a young age.

Provenza said she would oppose the "Student Eligibility in Interscholastic Sports" bill when it went to the floor, and fight against it to the greatest extent that she could. She said it was not the kind of legislation the Equality State should be standing for.

"What are we telling our children when we say that they can't play sports, when we say that they're different from everybody else, and they have to go through a special process to be able to enjoy the things that their friends enjoy?" she asked. "I didn't hear from any children coming to us saying that this is a problem. What I did hear was from young, brave children who said, 'I want my friends to play.'"

Jasmine Hall is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's state government reporter. She can be reached by email at jhall@wyomingnews.com or by phone at 307-633-3167. Follow her on Twitter @jasminerhphotos and on Instagram @jhrose25.