Bill to define sex in state law advances to Senate floor

[Judi Lynn]

Tom Kuglin 2 hrs ago



Sen. Carl Glimm, R-Kila.

THOM BRIDGE, Independent Record

Tom Kuglin
ASenate committee late Monday night gave approval to a bill that would define sex in state law.

Sen. Carl Glimm, R-Kila, brought Senate Bill 458 to the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Safety Committee that same night. The bill drew several proponents who said the legislation is about basic biology and bringing fairness to women’s sports, but an onslaught of opponents said the bill would effectively erase people who did not fit within the definition, whether due to gender identity or for medical reasons.

The bill now moves to the full Senate for consideration and needs to clear the chamber by Friday to meet a procedural deadline. Before the committee passed the bill, all Republicans voted to add a severability clause, meaning if part of it is found invalid, other parts would remain standing. Sen. Jen Gross, a Billings Democrat, also brought a motion to table the bill, but committee chair Sen. Tom McGillvray, of Billings, declined to allow that.

The legislation offers the definition of sex as “determined by the biological indication of male or female, including sex chromosomes, gonads, and nonambiguous internal and external genitalia present at birth, without regard to an individual's psychological, chosen, or subjective experience of gender.” The 60-page bill then goes on to touch on sections of law that would reference that definition, including insurance, athletics and legal documents such as marriage licenses.

Glimm and other supporters said that while “sex” and “gender” may have once been considered synonymous terms, that is no longer the case.

More:
https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/bill-to-define-sex-in-state-law-advances-to-senate-floor/article_ad517b3f-e9df-5c41-b8fa-5cf5288c4470.html