House Republicans on Thursday approved the first federal legislation of its kind to ban transgender athletes from competing on school sports teams with women and girls, a political messaging priority for the GOP despite the bill having no chance of passing by the Senate and facing a presidential veto. threat.
Outside the Capitol, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy praised the “Women and Girls in Sports Protection Act” after the bill passed by 219 votes to 203. along party lines. “This is a great day for America and a great day for girls and women, and for equity in sports,” McCarthy said. House Republicans pledged ahead of the last election to support American women and girls in sports. We have kept it today,” he added.
The bill would change Title IX’s definition of sex to one “based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.” Greg Steube, a Florida Republican, introduced the legislation in February after it failed to pass the committee during the last two sessions of Congress when Democrats controlled the House.
“House Republicans today passed this bill to protect the safety and fairness we must have in women’s sports and to ensure that no female athlete is forced to compete against a biological male, period,” House Majority Whip said. Representative. Tom Emmer with McCarthy and other Republican leaders.
Inside Capitol Hill, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized the bill as an example of Republicans “trying to sensationalize a problem that doesn’t really exist in the way they falsely present it.”
“The NCAA already has a policy related to this issue, just as the International Olympic Committee, the Athletics Association, and many high school sports associations have addressed this issue,” he said. “So what is it, once again, extreme Republicans at MAGA are doing everything they can to rake their right-wing ideology down the throat of the American people.”
Jeffries also warned of the potential ramifications the legislation could have on the well-being of transgender children.
“I believe in the fundamental goodness, decency, integrity, and respect of the American people. And for me, it’s not about politics. It’s about being there for all American kids, including transgender kids, who just want to be able to live and belong and make friends,” she said. Sarah Kate Ellis, president, and chief executive officer of GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, reacting to the bill’s passage Thursday, said House Republicans “should be ashamed of themselves.”
“Right now, gun violence is the leading cause of death for American children, yet hardline lawmakers ignore that reality to pass bills that further endanger and isolate LGBTQ youth who just want to be themselves,” and play with their friends,” Ellis said. in one sentence. “Transgender youth should not be watching lawmakers discuss their fundamental humanity.
Lawmakers must meet with transgender youth, their families, teammates, and coaches who would be harmed by this dangerous legislation; propose ways to protect all young people; and stop promoting anti-LGBTQ discrimination in a false attempt to protect women and girls. Protect all children and let them play.”
The bill died on arrival in the Democrat-controlled Senate, and the White House also warned that President Joe Biden would veto the legislation if he reached his desk. “As a national ban that does not take into account competitiveness or rank level, HR 734 targets people for who they are and is therefore discriminatory,” the White House said in a statement Monday. “Politicians shouldn’t impose a single requirement that forces coaches to remove children from their teams.”
Still, the measure serves as a bill for House Republicans working to highlight LGBTQ issues, as states across the country seek to pass similar laws limiting transgender athletes’ participation in school sports. “We kept our promise,” McCarthy said. \”We promised last year that if we had a chance to be in the majority, we would introduce this bill. We would defend justice. We would defend you. We would defend Title XI. That’s exactly what we did today.”
Since 2020, at least 21 states have enacted laws or policies that ban transgender athletes from playing on school sports teams with women and girls, according to the Movement Advancement Project.
