A local transgender woman is voicing her concerns over a bill that has passed the Texas State Senate.

Texas Senate Bill 29 would force transgender students to compete in sports based on their biological sex, not the gender they identify with.

Madeleine Croll came out as transgender when she was 33, but says she knew she was trans at a very young age. Now she worries for other trans kids who may be excluded from playing on sports teams matching their gender.

“One of the values that we expect to be promoted from team sports, it’s unity,” Croll said. “It’s comradeship. It’s this whole idea of working together as a team to overcome struggles.”

This bill would affect students in K-12, colleges, and universities. With trans women having already competed in women’s’ sports in the NCAA for years, Croll says we haven’t seen major issues.

“We don’t see trans women dominating all these different events,” Croll said.

Earlier this month, the NCAA Board of Governors issued a statement saying they “unequivocally support(s) the opportunity for transgender student-athletes to compete in college sports.”

Some mental health advocates say excluding transgender kids from certain sports teams could damage their mental health.

“It impacts them and their mental health when it comes to their depression, anxiety,” said Mayra Avila, Senior Coordinator of Counseling at South Texas College. “A lot of them can go into having suicidal ideations because of how they feel on the subject.”

In a Facebook post, Texas State Sen. Charles Perry, the author of the bill, said his bill "prevents biological males from competing in female sports," and that "we must always protect the safety and fairness of female sports."

The bill would require students to prove their biological sex with their original unaltered birth certificates.

If the bill passes in the Texas House, it would go into effect in the upcoming school year.