- There's growing momentum in the movement

to push back against transgender activism.

Last night the South Dakota House

passed a bill that would prevent doctors

from treating gender confused children

with hormones and sexreassignment surgery.

It's the first state in the nation

to take action on such an issue.

The ACLU is promisingto fight back in court

if the bill passes.

On the sports front,

female athletes are also pushing back.

They're opposed by transgender activists

who want boys and men that identify

as female to be able tocomplete against them.

At the high school levelthere's growing concern

that young women don't have a chance

when it comes to trans athletes.

In Connecticut, for instance, two boys

identifying as girls hold

15 state championship track titles.

In Washington, seven GOP lawmakers

are sponsoring a bill tolevel the playing field.

Heather Sells joins us now with more.

Heather.

- Yes, Mark, the house bill would deny

Title Nine funding to women's sports

that allow biological males to compete.

It is part of a new movement

that is pushing back againsttransgender activists.

These activists say thatit is discrimination

if sports authorities don't allow

trans athletes to competein their preferred gender.

The debate over transgender rights

is playing out at highschools across the country.

The problem for female athletes

when they have to competeagainst male athletes,

they're out matched.

Connecticut is one of 17 states

that allow this to happenwith no restrictions.

Unlike the NCAA, these athletes

don't even have to take hormonesthat suppress testosterone.

Track athlete Selena Soule

faced this trans athletesher freshman year.

- And once the gun went off

the two transgenderathletes took off flying,

and left all of us girls in the dust.

I knew right then and there

that some girls would be missing out

on great opportunities to succeed.

- [Heather] Soule and Alanna Smith,

both considered elite track talent,

are up against two trans athletes

who have taken 15 Connecticutstate championship titles

from females in just the last two years.

- It's not about thatthey are transgender,

it's about that it's not fair

to everybody else in our category

because we know they have aphysical advantage over us.

And sports is somethingthat should be fair.

- [Heather] Soule andSmith are fighting back

with a title ninediscrimination complaint.

They want the ConnecticutInterscholastic Conference

to revise its rules on trans athletes.

In the meantime,

lawmakers in nine other states

are trying to level the playing field

with bills such as requiring athletes

to compete in the gender

stated on their birth certificate.

Activists like the ACLUcall that discrimination,

saying individuals shouldhave the right to compete

in their preferred gender.

Alliance Defending Freedom attorney

att Sharp argues it's about fairness

for biological females.

- Everyone knows that thereare biological differences

between males and females.

And the whole reason we have laws

like Title Nine thatprotects opportunities

for females was in responseto these realities.

- [Heather] Some conservativecampaign strategists

plan to use the issue in 2020,

calling transgender sportsweak ground for progressives.

- We're looking forwardto using this issue

in really important elections

such as Michigan andGeorgia, North Carolina.

These states are gonna be crucial,

not just to the presidency,

but also to keeping the Senate.

And the voters there are very normal.

They're very fair minded.

And they're gonna bevoting on issues like this.

- It's a potential fight effecting anyone

who cares about thefuture of women's sports.

And, Mark, this issuereally has the ability

to make a dramatic impact on athletes

of all ages and their families.

- Heather, it's interesting because

women's sports really havegrown since Title Nine

was established,

and now the future seems so uncertain.

- Right, Title Nine wasestablished in 1972,

and the Women's Sports Foundation,

which was founded by tennisstart Billie Jean King,

says that there has beenalmost a 1,000% increase

in the number of womenplaying high school sports,

plus a 500% increase at the college level.

But that is all on the line right now.

- Where do you think thislegislation might go?

- Well in Washington there's no movement

in the Senate right now,

and Democrats control the house,

so it's hard to imaginethis bill going anywhere.

But we will be watchingto see where it goes

at the state level,

and if more states take the...