Categorizes women by their biological identity at birth rather than their gender identity for purpose of organized sports.

Rhode Island Senate Bill: Fairness in Women's Sports Act

This bill would have required that participation in women's or girls' sports categories be determined by a person's biological sex assigned at birth, rather than their gender identity. In practical terms, this means that transgender women and girls — people who were assigned male at birth but identify as female — would not be permitted to compete in women's or girls' athletic categories under this rule. The bill would have applied to organized sports, likely covering school and potentially other athletic programs in Rhode Island.

The bill would primarily affect transgender female athletes who currently participate or wish to participate in women's sports, as they would no longer be eligible to compete in the female category. It would also affect schools, sports organizations, and athletic programs that would need to establish or enforce eligibility verification processes. Supporters of similar bills elsewhere have argued they protect competitive fairness for female athletes, while opponents have argued they exclude and harm transgender youth.

It is worth noting that this bill was withdrawn at the sponsor's request before advancing through the legislative process, meaning it did not move forward toward becoming law. It had been introduced and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee before being pulled. As a result, no changes to Rhode Island law occurred as a result of this legislation.