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SB 502

Women’s Collegiate Sports Protection Act

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Anne Charnock and 5 co-sponsors

West Virginia bill restricts women's collegiate sports participation to athletes assigned female at birth, barring transgender women from women's teams.

Chapter 170, Acts, Regular Session, 2026
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Bill Summary · SB 502

Legislative bill overview

SB 502 would restrict participation in women's collegiate sports to athletes who were assigned female at birth, effectively prohibiting transgender women from competing on women's sports teams at West Virginia colleges and universities. The bill was introduced in January 2026 and referred to the Senate Education Committee for consideration.

Why is this important

This legislation directly impacts transgender student-athletes' access to collegiate athletics and reflects ongoing national debates about fairness, inclusion, and the role of biological differences in sports competition. The bill represents one of many state-level attempts to establish eligibility rules for women's sports, with significant implications for affected students and institutional compliance.

Potential points of contention

  • Fairness and competitive advantage: Debate over whether transgender women retain physiological advantages despite hormone therapy, and whether current NCAA/sports science standards adequately address this concern
  • Civil rights and discrimination: Questions about whether biological sex-based eligibility criteria violate Title IX protections or anti-discrimination laws, versus religious/conservative arguments about protecting women's sports opportunities
  • Practical enforcement: How institutions would verify sex assigned at birth and handle documentation without creating privacy concerns or administrative burdens

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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