On Tuesday, the House approved a Republican bill that prohibits transgender girls and women from participating in school sports teams that align with their gender identity, a move the party emphasized during the 2024 campaign.
The legislation, referred to as the
“Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act,”
seeks to amend Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in educational settings, by defining a person’s
“sex”
based solely on their reproductive biology and genetics at birth. Schools that permit
“a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls”
could face the loss of federal funding.
The bill was approved in the House with 218 votes in favor, 206 against, and one voting present. Two Texas Democrats, Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez, joined with all Republicans to support the legislation. Democratic Rep. Don Davis from North Carolina voted present.
“An overwhelming majority of Americans believe that men don’t belong in women’s sports and that we must allow common sense to prevail,”
Republican Rep. Greg Steube of Florida, who sponsored the bill, said during the floor debate prior to the vote.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that approximately 3% of high school students identify as transgender. In 2023, House Republicans passed the bill without any Democratic backing. The Senate, then under Democratic control, did not address it.
House Republicans pledged to make the issue a priority again this year after GOP campaigns invested tens of millions in advertisements last year that framed the issue as a threat to girls and women in sports. A similar proposal has been reintroduced in the Republican-controlled Senate. During the floor debate, Republicans contended that these athletes possess biological advantages that create an unfair and unsafe environment for other girls and women.
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
