Arizona Legislature Passes Bill on Women’s Sports

Last week, the Arizona Legislature approved a bill that prohibits biological males from participating in women’s and girls’ sports. This decision will now be put to a vote by the public this fall.

The bill drew significant attention in March after a heated exchange between Democratic state Senator Katherine Miranda and former Utah State volleyball player Kaylee Ray. Ray, who previously opposed a San Jose State University controversy involving transgender athletes, expressed her support for the bill in a hearing. Miranda responded with remarks about Ray’s physique and doubts about her athletic capabilities.

Now that the HCR 2003 bill has passed the state Senate, Ray feels she has a message for Miranda. “This is what the people want,” Ray stated, emphasizing the importance of providing a safe environment for girls in sports. “It’s not about exclusion; it’s about including girls who are being denied opportunities by boys.” She also mentioned extending an invitation to Miranda for a private discussion but hasn’t received any feedback from her.

Ray interpreted Miranda’s silence as a sign of the senator doubling down on her stance, expressing hope that Miranda would reconsider based on the facts. “Everyone in the Democratic Party claims this is a ban targeting specific individuals,” Ray remarked. “However, this is intended to enhance protections already in place for sports, not to single out any group.”

Interestingly, Ray observed little backlash from Miranda’s supporters after their confrontation. “None have reached out to me, which makes me wonder whether she has any supporters at all,” Ray noted.

In previous legislative sessions, Miranda opposed the bill, voting against it as it moved through Congress. HCR 2003 faced a setback in the Senate Education Committee in March, where it was defeated by a 4-3 vote, with Miranda among the dissenters. Subsequently, she voted against the final passage of the resolution after supporting an amendment that aimed to alter how teams are categorized.

This amendment suggested changing team designations from biological sex to factors related to athletic performance, something Ray found puzzling. “Honestly, it seemed like she was grasping for something unrelated to the bill itself,” Ray commented.

The bill mandates that Arizona schools and athletic organizations classify teams as male, female, or coed based on biological sex, effectively preventing male-designated teams from admitting players who identify as female. It additionally prohibits individuals from using restrooms and changing facilities designated for a gender different from their assigned sex at birth.

For Ray, this issue hits home. She has personally experienced competition against biological male trans athletes from San Jose State, which eventually affected her own team’s performance. Ray described the situation as traumatic, especially after her team faced disqualification in 2024 due to protests surrounding trans athletes.

Ray is now involved in a lawsuit alongside ten other former Mountain West volleyball players against SJSU, and she has also been following developments regarding women’s sports cases being reviewed by the Supreme Court.

Currently, she’s training with a local semi-professional volleyball team in Arizona and is set to start her professional season in Greece later this year. Throughout this journey, Ray claims to advocate for women’s sports and expresses her views openly, even amidst criticism.