Originally published April 20, 2023 11:00 am PDT
In a party-line vote, House Republicans passed a bill on Thursday that aims to ban transgender-identified males from participating in female athletic programs across the U.S., according to a report from The Hill.
The legislation, called the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act,” is sponsored by Representative Greg Steube (R-FL) and would be the first standalone bill to restrict biological males from competing against females in the House.
If passed, the bill would amend Title IX, the federal civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in education, and says that “sex” would be “recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.”
The legislation would prohibit recipients of federal financial assistance from allowing transgender-identified men and boys to participate on female sports teams, but would not prevent them from training or practicing with female athletic programs.
The bill states: “It shall be a violation of subsection for a recipient of Federal financial assistance who operates, sponsors, or facilitates athletic programs or activities to permit a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls.”
“This is about protecting women’s sports now and into the future,” said House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (NY).
“Biological women and girls should only be competing against other biological women and girls,” added Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX). “And I don’t care how many surgeries you have, I don’t care how many chemicals you put into your body. You’re not going to be a biological woman.”
The White House has issued a veto threat and the bill is also unlikely to pass the Democrat-led Senate.
Read the full bill below:
