The Oregon House of Representatives has rejected a bill that would have required Oregon schools and colleges to separate sports teams by biological sex.

The vote this past week was split along party lines. House Republicans forced the bill to the House floor for a vote after months of the bill not receiving a hearing.

The failure of the bill comes at a time when bordering state California is being scrutinized by the Trump administration for allowing a transgender athlete to compete — and win the girls high jump — at the state track championships. President Donald Trump has said he will impose “large-scale fines” on California for allowing the biological male athlete to compete.

In Oregon, several House Republicans spoke in support of the bill. State Rep. and House Minority Leader Christine Drazan said the bill was about fairness in women’s sports.

“I think it’s possible to protect women and women’s sports and create space for trans athletes to compete,” Drazan said. “This is the time to recognize that women should continue to have the right and the opportunity to compete at their highest levels against other women.”

Drazan gave an emotional speech on the House floor advocating for an intern on her staff. She said the intern was forced to share a locker room with a biological male her age.

“This is a young girl who wasn’t expecting when she made the decision to pursue her athletic career, she wasn’t expecting to have to navigate having a biological male in the locker room,” she said. “She didn’t know that she would have to compete against biological men on the track, and that has been something that has affected her.”

Drazan invited more than a dozen young female athletes to share stories about their experiences with transgender women in school sports.

Democratic state representatives were adamant about defending the rights of transgender students and individuals. State Rep. Rob Nosse, a Democrat, said transgender athletes are under relentless attack.

“These attacks are based, I believe, on outdated prejudices, harmful stereotypes and misguided fears under the guise of allegedly protecting women’s sports,” Nosse said. Trans people are not converting from female to male so they can gain some advantage in sports or male to female to gain some advantage.”

The bill would have also forced school districts and colleges to separate bathrooms and locker rooms based on biological sex. Students and families would have been able to sue for damages if the rules were violated.

A statewide poll commissioned by House Republicans found 69% of Oregonians oppose OSAA’s current policy allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports. An Associated Poll in May found that about 73% of U.S. adults believe transgender athletes should not be allowed to participate in girls’ and women’s sports at any level.

Rep. Boomer Wright, a chief sponsor of the Oregon bill, said people across the country are advocating for this type of legislation.

“Let’s just face it, they’re men and they shouldn’t be in women’s sports, and we have seen across this country that women are standing up and they’re saying, ‘No, this is unfair,’ ” Wright said.

Twenty-six states have passed legislation banning transgender women from participating in women’s sports.

Other state Democrats said this kind of legislation could lead to some dangerous consequences.

“This rhetoric attacking trans youth has devastating real-life consequences. At best, it alienates Oregon’s children, and at worst, it leads to children taking their own lives,” state Rep. Jules Walters said.

Trump signed an executive order on Feb. 5 called “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.” In the order Trump said allowing boys and men to compete in women’s sports is demeaning, unfair and dangerous to women and girls.