A final vote is expected soon on a Tennessee bill to ban transgender athletes from playing middle and high school sports. If passed, it will require students to prove their sex “at the time of birth” in order to play middle and high school sports.

Governor Bill Lee signaled his support for the legislation saying transgender athletes will destroy women’s sports.

The ACLU Deputy Director for Trans Justice Chase Strangio released the following statement:

“Tennessee lawmakers voted to advance a harmful and unconstitutional bill that discriminates against transgender children by barring them from participating in the school sports that they love. Without a single example of a Tennessee student facing any harm, lawmakers still insist on leveraging these misguided attacks on some of the most vulnerable youth in the state. As an attorney currently challenging similar legislation that passed last year in Idaho and defending the rights of transgender students in courts across the country, I know that these sweeping attacks violate Title IX and the Constitution and will ultimately fail in court. Trans students belong in our schools, including on sports teams. If a trans child is excluded because of this legislation, we will see you in court.”