Massachusetts anti-trans law to keep kids out of sports?

My essay - April 10

I wrote: An Anti-Trans Sports Ban May Be Coming in Massachusetts (April 10, 5-min read)

Erin Reed has more info - April 11

Please also read and subscribe to Erin Reed: Massachusetts House Dems Pass Bill That Could Ban Trans Students From Sports; Senate Next. Democrats used a procedural motion to water the sports ban down rather than kill it outright out of fear of taking a vote and putting members on record. Apr 11, 2025

Reed explains that on April 9:

"...the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a $1.3 billion budget bill that included a transgender sports ban—the first such measure to pass any legislative chamber in a blue state. Rather than voting to strike down the provision, Democrats advanced an amendment allowing the ban to go into effect only after its impacts are studied."

Further, on April 10:

"...Democratic Representative Mike Connolly...was pressed on the lack of a vote to strike the sports ban. Connolly initially stated that taking such a vote “would not have advanced the interests of trans people,” and noted that Democrats did not want to proceed without “coordinating strategy with swing district Reps,” suggesting the decision to pass the sports ban language was made to protect vulnerable Democrats. When pressed further, Connolly revealed that the amendment did not receive a vote because of concerns about taking a vote “where the final tally — and the implications of that tally — are unknown,” implying that Democrats may have supported the sports ban outright had it come to a vote.

This outcome is deeply troubling. Sports bans have been introduced in nearly every state, and across the country—even in deep-red legislatures—Democrats have consistently voted in unified opposition. Earlier this year, every single Democrat in Montana, a state with a Republican trifecta, stood against such a ban and were unafraid of taking that vote. In contrast, Massachusetts Democrats, rather than taking a public vote to defend transgender youth, chose to shield their vulnerable members by advancing a study provision that leaves the door open to future enforcement."