House Bill 1298 has been controversial since its introduction into, and passage by, the North Dakota House earlier this legislative session.
In brief, the original bill prohibited students assigned male on their birth certificate from participating in girls athletics in schools and other publicly funded entities in North Dakota. Thus, the bill excluded transgender students those whose gender differs from the sex they were assigned at birth from many athletics. Proponents say that the inclusion of trans girls in girls sports is unfair to girls who were assigned female at birth. Opponents say thereâs little evidence that trans athletes are unfairly reducing opportunities for other North Dakotans and that the cost of discrimination against trans students is too high.