Transgender sports bans become conservative litmus test

Washington — The battle for LGBTQ rights has entered a new front as conservatives mount widespread efforts to bar transgender girls from participating in school sports, with activists warning support for the policies will be a crucial test for Republicans poised to seek higher office in the coming years.

Lawmakers in at least 25 states have proposed measures restricting transgender athletes from competing in school sports. And much like the debate several years ago over allowing transgender students to use the bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity, the push to bar transgender athletes from girls' and womens' sports has emerged as the latest flashpoint in the culture wars. "This has become a litmus test for Republican and conservative voters," Terry Schilling, president of the American Principles Project, a conservative think tank, said of restricting transgender girls and women in athletics. "It's an important victory for Republicans to achieve, and a base of conservative voters are going to look at politicians who betray this issue as not trustworthy."