HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHP) — The state Senate passed a bill Wednesday that would ban transgender girls and women from playing on female sports teams.

The bill would require Pennsylvania public schools and colleges to label sports teams as either “male,” “female” or “coed,” stipulating that only “biological females” would be able to join teams for girls or women.

Senate Bill 1293, sponsored by Sen. Judy Ward and co-sponsored by eight other Republican senators, would also allow students to take legal action if they believe they’ve been “harmed” by violations of the rule.

Republican supporters say the bill would promote fairness in women’s sports by ensuring “female athletes have a level playing field”.

“While House Democrats continue to play partisan politics instead of protecting the women of this commonwealth, Senate Republicans stand ready to provide every female athlete the opportunity they have fought so hard to achieve,” Ward said in a statement.

The American Civil Liberty Union of Pennsylvania, on the other hand, said trans girls deserve the same chance as other kids to play on their community’s sports teams and to feel included.

The nonprofit said if passed, the bill would have “detrimental and potentially devastating” effects on the health of young trans Pennsylvanians.

“Their inclusion strengthens our athletic programs and benefits every girl who steps onto a field or into a gym,” said ACLU-PA Senior Organizer Naiymah Sanchez. “The conversation we should be having is about improving the health and well-being of our youth, and providing more funding for girls’ sports to ensure all student athletes have what they need to thrive.”

The ACLU of Pennsylvania opposes the bill, which is said is a reintroduction of an identical bill that then Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed back in 2022.

“Rather than addressing real challenges facing student athletes, such as a lack of equal resources for girls’ sports, SB 1293 instead continues this cruel campaign targeting vulnerable youth under the banner of protecting women’s sports,” the nonprofit writes on its website.

The bill passed the state Senate Wednesday 30-17 and now heads to the Democrat-controlled state House, where it is unlikely to pass.

Several Democrats joined Republican counterparts voting in favor of the bill, including Democratic senators Lisa Boscola, Marty Flynn, Nick Miller and Christine Tartaglione.

Click here to read more about the bill.