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INDIANAPOLIS — The issue of transgender women playing in women’s college sports in Indiana is back before Indiana lawmakers.
This year, both President Trump and Governor Braun have already signed executive orders that ban trans women from playing on women’s college sports teams.
The NCAA also changed its policy recently that puts a ban in place too.
The author of House Bill 1041, Republican State Representative Michelle Davis, says the bill protects women and the integrity of women’s sports, by putting that ban into Indiana law in case anything changes with the NCCA or at the federal level in the future.
Those against the bill say it harms the transgender community and makes them a target for hate.
Standing in a room, speaking in front of some of Indiana’s most powerful people, is a place 20-year-old Elle Patterson has become used to recently.
“Hi, my name is Elle Patterson,” the health science and pre-med college major told lawmakers on the Senate’s Education and Career Development Committee Wednesday afternoon.
It was the third time Patterson has come to the Indiana Statehouse this year to voice her support for House Bill 1041 that would ban transgender women from participating in women’s college sports in Indiana.
“HB 1041 needs to be passed to protect bodily privacy, competitive fairness and ensure women’s safety,” Patterson told lawmakers.
The Tri-West High School graduate testified about being recruited to play Division 1 Volleyball at San Jose State in California on a scholarship, only to learn when she got there, there was no money for her during her freshman year.
Patterson testified that her coach assured her the money would be available next year.
“It was too late to transfer,” Patterson told lawmakers, explaining that she decided to stay anyway and play that first Fall season.
But after playing in 20 games that Fall, Patterson testified the coach told her she wouldn’t get scholarship money for her remaining years at San Jose State either.
“He just said that while he wanted me to stay, he needed the money for other people,” Patterson said when she spoke to 13 News recently at IU Indy, where she now plays Division 1 Volleyball for the Jaguars on a full scholarship.
“I just think the program we have is special,” Patterson said of her coach and teammates.
Patterson told 13News after she transferred to IU Indy, she learned one of her former teammates at San Jose State was transgender.
“I know that the other player was on scholarship. So had they not been on scholarship then I would personally say that it was I could have been on scholarship,” said Patterson.
For Patterson, House Bill 1041 is about many concerns, among them fairness in women’s sports.
“When it comes to athletics, I personally think there should be a definitive line,” said Patterson, explaining she doesn’t believe transgender women should be allowed to play on women’s college teams.
She recalls lifting more frequently than her former teammate, but said it never seemed to make a difference.
“They would be so much better, like be able to jump so much higher, effortlessly, hit the ball so much harder, without even trying,” Patterson recalled.
Patterson was one of dozens who came to testify on House Bill 1041, some for the bill and some against.
“Hello everyone. My name is Beth Clawson and I am here to ask you to vote no on HB 1041,” Beth Clawson told lawmakers in the same committee Wednesday.
For Clawson this also wasn’t her first time addressing a room full of Indiana lawmakers.
She’s been here before.
“I have trekked too many times from Bloomington to ask this body to vote no to bill that are harmful to my daughter, her peers and our loved ones who are part of the transgender community,” Clawson told lawmakers.
“I am here to talk to you as a parent of three children, one who happens to be transgender,” Clawson explained.
Like Patterson, Clawson believes the debate around House Bill 1041 is about fairness too.
She spoke to 13 News before testifying.
“She sees it as a fairness thing and I see it as a fairness thing,” Clawson said, speaking of Patterson’s position on transgender women being allowed or not allowed to play in women’s college sports.
Clawson though is on the other side of this issue when she speaks about fairness.
She has a 12-year-old trans gender daughter, Kirin.
“My child is growing up in a world where she can’t do the activities that she wants to do, whether because she doesn’t feel safe or she’s not allowed to,” said Clawson, explaining that Kirin used to love playing sports, but doesn’t now, in part because of the ban enacted last session on trans girls playing on girls’ sports teams in grades K through 12.
“She knows if she were to participate in middle school sports as the law is written now, she would have to be on the boys’ team and that’s not who she is, It’s not who she’s been for the past nine years,” Clawson said.
Now both women, one a college athlete, the other a mother of a transgender child have spoken to Indiana lawmakers, both from deeply personal experiences, that have shaped their beliefs and convictions about this bill.
Now each of them is asking lawmakers to vote in a different way.
That vote did not take place at Wednesday’s committee.
