Ensuring Fairness for Female Athletes Ensuring fairness in collegiate sports is essential to protecting opportunities for female athletes. Biological differences impact athletic performance, and a new law I supported this session further protects the integrity of women’s sports in Indiana.
House Enrolled Act 1041 ensures fair competition by preventing biological males from competing in female categories at the collegiate level in the state of Indiana. This legislation aligns with an executive order at the federal level signed by President Donald Trump and one at the state level signed by Gov. Mike Braun, codifying the language into state law.
Elle Patterson, a former San Jose State volleyball player, testified in support of HEA 1041 in both the House and Senate committee hearings. She stated that she lost a volleyball scholarship to a biological male athlete and was required to share hotel rooms and locker rooms, while being unfairly compared in athletic performance.
The General Assembly previously passed a law I supported in 2022, which prohibited biological men from participating in female sports in Indiana K-12 schools.
As Indiana is home to the NCAA headquarters and hosts national and worldwide sporting events, it’s important we remain a leader on this issue.
To learn more about HEA 1041 and other new laws signed by the governor, click here.
Sincerely,
Tim O’Brien
State Representative
