Nevada lieutenant governor leads rally against trans women in sports

CARSON CITY — Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony held a rally with about 50 people in celebration of girls and women in sports, as well as highlighting what some believe is a big issue: trans athletes participating in team sports.

“Girls deserve a level playing field where hard work and dedication determines the outcomes, not politics or policies,” the Republican lieutenant governor said Wednesday inside the old Assembly chambers in the Nevada Capitol Building.

His event was scheduled to be outside, but it was moved indoors for safety reasons due to an anti-Trump administration protest outside.

The Republican lieutenant governor’s rally came just about a month after he announced the creation of a task force to protect women’s sports after a UNR women’s volleyball team refused to play a match as a form of protest against the participation of transgender women in sports.

Just a couple hours earlier, President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning transgender women from competing in female sports. His action was met with support from the attendees of the rally.

Speakers at the rally wore T-shirts that said “Protect women’s sports,” and two young Nevada athletes shared experiences in which they competed against players who they claimed were “biologically male.”

Melissa Batie-Smoose, former associate head coach for the San José State University women’s volleyball team, said her contract was not renewed after speaking out against an allegedly transgender person on the team.

Trans issues in the legislative session

Anthony’s rally also highlights a growing culture-war issue that Republicans hope to make more prominent in the legislative session, which started Monday.

Two lawmakers, state Sen. Carrie Buck and Assembly member Bert Gurr, are putting bills forward that aim to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls and women’s sports.

Buck’s Senate Bill 112 would allow trans athletes to participate in team sports as long as they are co-ed, said Buck, R-Henderson, in a Wednesday interview. It also would allow students to file civil action against a school for allowing a trans girl to compete in a girls team sport.

Gurr, R-Spring Creek, has similar legislation, but a bill had yet to be written as of Wednesday afternoon.

Buck said she doesn’t expect her bill to go anywhere in the Democratic-majority Legislature but instead called her legislation a “statement bill” that in her view, calls attention to girls and women losing opportunities in sports.

“You take this 10, 20 years down the line, we will not have any women in women’s sports,” Buck said.

When asked how the Republicans’ bills would be enforced if passed, Anthony said the administrative part will have to be ironed out later.

“Right now, we just want to make sure men are not allowed to play in women’s sports,” he said. “The administrative aspect we would have to put together.”

The lieutenant governor also said that he does not personally know anyone who is trans.

While some bills aim to curb the rights of trans people, other legislators are pushing for added protections.

State Sen. James Ohrenschall, D-Las Vegas, has legislation — Senate Bill 171 — to enact a shield law to protect the transgender community.

Similar to Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro’s bill that passed last session protecting out-of-state abortion seekers, Ohrenschall’s bill will protect people from out-of-state who seek gender-affirming care in Nevada, as well as the providers who perform the care.

“This is health care, and people shouldn’t be afraid to be able to get the health care that they’re seeking and to practice medicine,” Ohrenschall said.

Ohrenschall’s bill was passed by both chambers in the previous session but was vetoed by the governor. The Democratic senator made changes based on the governor’s veto message to make it less broad, and he is open to make changes if the governor’s office has other suggestions, he said.

During a joint budget meeting Wednesday morning, Democratic legislators brought up concerns about the lieutenant governor’s task force and the use of state time and resources. Anthony said the task force is made up of volunteers and are not made up of state employees, though he then said some employees have helped with the task force.

“It may not be yours, but it’s my personal opinion that the lieutenant governor looks out for all Nevadans,” said state Sen. Marilyn Dondero-Loop, D-Las Vegas. “We have many different groups of people, and that’s why the lieutenant governor oversees all of Nevada and generally doesn’t take a stance.”

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.