A Republican proposal would ban biological males from participating in women’s sports
The US House of Representatives has passed a law that would ban biological males from competing on girls’ teams in federally funded schools. It would apply to all kindergartens, elementary and high schools, as well as colleges and universities that receive federal subsidies.
The Protection of Women and Girls In Sports Act specifies that student athletes can only participate on sports teams that correspond to their gender at birth.
“The American people sent a clear message in November. They want us to return to common sense, and we’re going to see if Democrats have heard that message,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, told reporters ahead of the vote on Tuesday.
“Everyone’s talking about their children today. I’ve got two sons and two daughters, and we see the difference. Of course everyone does. And it’s kind of silly to deny it,” he added.
The final vote ended up being 218 in favor and 206 opposed. Two Democrats from Texas, Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzales, voted with the Republicans while another, Don Davis of North Carolina, voted “present.” All three won by a small margin in districts that have trended Republican in recent years.
“Why are we even having to discuss this? It’s amazing to me that the idea that we would have XY chromosome males competing and taking the place of women and girls in sports is just mind-blowing,” Doug LaMalfa, a Republican from California, asked during the debate on the bill. He also wondered why the feminists and activists who fought for women’s rights were silent on the matter.
Democrats responded by renaming the bill the “Child Predator Empowerment Act.” Andrea Salinas, an Oregon Democrat, claimed it created an “unfair playing field” because it allowed any parent to raise a concern about transgender athletes, which she said was “rare.”
“Republicans should stop focusing on culture wars and start getting to work on lowering costs, investing in public education, and increasing access to affordable health care,” argued Eugene Vindman of Virginia, a Ukrainian-born Democrat whose brother Alexander was involved in the first impeachment of then-President Donald Trump in 2019.
Trump is scheduled to be sworn into office for his second term on Monday.
This is the second time that the House has passed the bill on transgender athletes, proposed by Florida Republican Greg Steube. It was first adopted in 2023, with a vote of 219-203, but the Democrats who controlled the Senate refused to take it up. Republicans now control both chambers of Congress and the new Senate leadership has already signaled it would move to approve the bill soon.
