Texas Senate approves bill restricting which college sports teams transgender athletes can join

The Republican-controlled Texas Senate gave preliminary approval to a bill Tuesday that would ban transgender athletes from participating in university women’s sports.

Lt. Gov Dan Patrick said the bill will come up for final approval from the chamber Wednesday.

The legislation expands on a 2021 law that prohibits K-12 public school students from playing on sports teams that align with their gender identity. If it gets final approval from the Senate on Wednesday, it will move on to the Texas House, where a majority of state representatives have already expressed support for similar legislation.