The House Committee on Education and the Workforce are considering a federal bill to ban transgender men and boys from joining female sports.
The “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act,” was introduced for a third time by Rep. Greg Steube, a Republican, in February on National Girls and Women in Sports Day.
The proposed legislation would amend the Education Amendments of 1972 and Title IX to say that "in athletics, sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth."
"It shall be a violation of subsection (a) 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," the bill states. "For the purposes of this subsection, sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth."
Rep. Stuebe has introduced the legislation in the last two Congresses, but it did not pass either time, as Democrats controlled the House.
In a statement about the legislation in February, Rep. Steube said that the bill "ensures women and girls a fair playing field in competitive sports."“Allowing biological males to participate in women’s sports is a complete affront to the hardworking women and girls who have spent their lives training to achieve their dreams. It’s simple: biological males have no place in women’s sports,” said Rep. Steube. “Last Spring, Sarasota’s own, Emma Weyant, was robbed of her NCAA Championship in the 500 Freestyle by a biological male, Lia Thomas. Floridians and Americans across the country are rightly outraged at what has become of women’s sports. We’ve seen time and time again how the far left only favors fairness when it aligns with their woke agenda. That’s why today, I’m pleased reintroduce legislation that ensures women and girls a fair playing field in competitive sports.”
According to a report from The Hill, "Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has on multiple occasions signaled his support for the legislation, which now stands a better chance of passing in the House’s new Republican majority. House Education and Labor Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) has also voiced support for Steube’s bill."
“I refuse to sacrifice the safety of girls and women on the field and in the locker room to the woke Left. The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023 will restore the safety, privacy, and opportunities of women and girls in sports. Our nation passed Title IX 50 years ago to give women equal access to education and athletic opportunities. This revolutionized women’s sports. Moving backward is not an option. We must honor the original intent of Title IX,” said Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Foxx in a February statement.
Democrat Rep. Mark Pocan, Congressional Equality Caucus, condemned the bill in a statement on Monday. He claimed that the legislation is just about "attacking trans kids."
“There are plenty of pressing issues facing both our education system and girls’ and women’s sports, such as teacher shortages and poor pay and a lack of resources and sexual harassment respectively. Rather than addressing any of these issues, anti-LGBTQI+ Republicans on this Committee will spend their first legislative markup voting to ban trans kids from participating in sports,” Pocan said. “This is not about girls’ and women’s sports; it’s about attacking trans kids. This sports ban is just the opening salvo in their larger efforts to limit the rights of and demonize the LGBTQI+ community, and the Equality Caucus will do everything it can to defeat it.”
Riley Gaines, a twelve time NCAA All-American Swimmer and Independent Women's Forum Spokeswoman supported the bill.
"As an athlete who has experienced the injustice of competing against a male firsthand, I'm grateful for the leadership of Representative Steube. He has made it clear that he will fight for fairness, privacy, and safety for girls and women in sports," Gaines said.
