Democrats in Carson City are questioning Republican Lieutenant Governor Stavros Anthony’s authority to form a task force to ban trans athletes from women’s sports.
Lawmakers grilled Anthony Wednesday during a hearing on the Lieutenant Governor’s budget.
Anthony created the unofficial task force targeting trans athletes following a university volleyball controversy. Last fall, University of Nevada, Reno team members refused to play against San Jose State, citing reports of a transgender player on the team.
At the Nevada State Capitol, Democratic Assemblywoman Selena Torres-Fossett asked the lieutenant governor how he’s funding the task force.
“To be clear, you are using staff time because that would be a resource and that is at a cost to the state where we could be allocating those resources to the actual responsibilities of the office. Is that correct?" asked Torres-Fossett.
Anthony replied, “Yes, I have employees that are, that are helping me with the task force and actually with everything that I do in the lieutenant governor's office, and that's that's, I decided that one of my responsibilities as lieutenant governor was to support these female athletes.”
Republican lawmakers have also introduced legislation requiring schools to segregate athletes by the students’ assigned sex at birth. Exceptions may be allowed for sports specified as co-ed.
Officials unveiled the measures in the capitol building during an event hosted by the lieutenant governor. It celebrated President Donald Trump’s Feb. 5 executive order banning trans athletes from school sports.
Outside, protestors demonstrated against the Trump Administration’s agenda.
