State by State · No law protecting girls’ sports
Maryland has no law protecting girls' sports. The state athletic association tells each school system to let students play on teams that match their gender identity, and bills to change that died in 2025 and 2026.
The law in Maryland
State policy allows males on girls' teams
Past attempts
HB 156 (2025), “Fairness in Girls’ Sports Act”: unfavorable report from House Ways and Means, Feb. 10, 2025 (MGA HB 156). HB 63 / SB 50 (2026), same title, also covering locker rooms: heard in House Ways and Means Feb. 5, 2026; no committee vote recorded and the session ended without passage (MGA HB 63; SB 50 fiscal note).
The law in detail, with sources
The law
None. No statute, regulation or ballot measure limits girls’ teams to females. The Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) guidance says “Each school system should develop and apply criteria for students to participate on interscholastic athletic teams consistent with their gender identity,” and that once granted, eligibility lasts for the student’s whole career (MPSSAA guidance, revised Aug. 2016, copy hosted by Howard County schools; HCPSS FAQ).
Who it covers
MPSSAA public high school sports; criteria set by each county school system.
Notes
Maryland Education Article §26-704 bars public schools, and private schools that take state funds, from treating students unfavorably because of “sexual orientation, gender identity,” among other traits (statute). At the Feb. 5, 2026 hearing on HB 63, the Attorney General’s office, the state superintendents’ association and the school boards’ association all urged lawmakers to reject the bill (AG testimony and others, MGA committee file). No federal action against Maryland over sports has been reported.
In the courts and statehouses
February 5, 2026 · Maryland House Ways and Means Committee
Evie Edwards submits testimony for Maryland’s HB 63
ICONS board member Evie Edwards submitted written testimony in support of HB 63, the Fairness in Girls’ Sports Act.
February 7, 2024 · Maryland Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee
Evie Edwards testifies for the Maryland Senate’s girls’ sports bill
Evie Edwards testified for ICONS in support of SB 381, the Senate version of the Fairness in Girls’ Sports Act, drawing on eight years of competing against male cyclists in women’s races.
January 31, 2024 · Maryland House Ways and Means Committee
Evie Edwards testifies for Maryland’s Fairness in Girls’ Sports Act
ICONS’ Evie Edwards, a world and national medalist in cycling, testified in person in support of HB 47, the Fairness in Girls’ Sports Act.
February 15, 2023 · Maryland House Ways and Means Committee
Marshi Smith testifies for Maryland’s Save Women’s Sports Act
ICONS co-founder Marshi Smith testified in support of HB 359, the Save Women’s Sports Act.