Indiana bill proposes changing 'gender' to 'biological sex' in state statutes

Indiana lawmakers have already introduced nearly 630 bills in the first few days of the legislative session. Among the more controversial proposals getting attention is a bill that would change the word "gender" to "biological sex" in multiple state statutes.

Indiana House Bill 1291 would re-define a person's gender in several laws that describe a person being physically male or female, to match their sex assigned at birth.

If passed, this would affect how police identify a missing person, laws surrounding sex discrimination, and even how people are put in jail.

Indiana Democrats responded Wednesday night, argue HB 1291 takes the focus away from the issues many Hoosiers want to see addressed.

“The legislative session just started this week and already Indiana Republicans want to ramp up the culture wars and talk about ‘gender’ when the vast majority of Hoosiers want them to work on kitchen table issues like property tax relief, protecting rural hospitals, stronger schools, and childcare options for families,” Indiana Democratic Party Chair Mike Schmuhl said in a statement to ABC57.

You can view House Bill 1291 here and view all the bills for the 2024 session so far, here.