19 Wyoming Republicans block bill to legally define 'man' and 'woman'

A proposed Wyoming House Bill that would have legally defined the terms "female" and "male" based on scientific biological definitions was struck down on Thursday after 19 Republicans voted against it.

Introduced by Republican Rep. Jeanette Ward, House Bill 50, also known as the "What is a Woman Act," would have defined people based on the sex in which they were born and would have banned people from using public accommodations, such as restrooms, different from their birth sex.

Additionally, the bill would have required any school district and state agency, department, office, or other political subdivision that collects vital statistics as a means of gathering information related to crime, public health, and economic status, to define an individual as male or female consistent with the persons sex at birth.