House passes bill to ban trans men playing in girls’ sports

On Tuesday, the House passed bill aimed at banning trans men from playing in girls’ sports. The legislation, titled the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, passed in a 218-206 vote, with two Texas Democrats supporting the measure.

This marks the first time standalone federal legislation targeting transgender rights has cleared either chamber of Congress.

The bill seeks to amend Title IX by defining sex as “reproductive biology and genetics at birth,” thereby prohibiting transgender athletes from competing on teams that align with their gender identity at any federally funded educational institution.

“All throughout humanity, we have recognized as a species that there are women and there are men, as God created, who are obviously biologically different,” said Representative Greg Steube of Florida, who sponsored the bill.

However, with Republicans holding 53 Senate seats, the bill faces an uphill battle in the Senate, where it would need at least 60 votes to pass, requiring significant bipartisan support.

The legislation also raises broader concerns about its potential impact on federal disaster relief funding. Southern California, grappling with historic wildfires, faces uncertainty as critical funding for natural disaster response becomes entangled in political negotiations.

On Sunday, more than 20 House Republicans, including key appropriators, gathered at President-elect Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago to discuss leveraging wildfire relief funds in upcoming debt ceiling debates.

Over 400 civil rights organizations have condemned the bill, calling it an unprecedented federal overreach into school sports that could lead to intrusive investigations into students’ private medical information. Republican proponents argue the bill is necessary to “preserve Title IX’s original intent,” though implementing the policy remains fraught with challenges.

In Florida, public outcry in 2023 led officials to abandon a proposal to track students’ menstrual cycles, underscoring the contentious nature of such measures.

Critics, including New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have questioned the feasibility of enforcement. “There is no enforcement mechanism in this bill,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “And when there is no enforcement mechanism, you open the door for every enforcement mechanism.”

The Department of Education would oversee the proposed rules, but the bill leaves unresolved questions about how schools would verify students’ sex, with suggestions like birth certificate checks sparking privacy concerns.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said biological men competing against women “poses a threat to the safety of our girls.”

“It’s dangerous, it’s unfair, it’s a rejection of reality, and it is just plain wrong,” he told reporters. “Men are men, women are women, and men cannot become women. It’s just that simple,” Johnson said.

The bill, HR 28, prohibits schools that receive federal funding from allowing a biological male to participate in athletic programs or activities designated for women and girls.

The bill amends Title IX to read, “It shall be a violation of subsection (a) for a recipient of Federal financial assistance who operates, sponsors, or facilitates an athletic program or activity to permit a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls.” Sex under the amendment “shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.” 

“Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to prohibit a recipient from permitting males to train or practice with an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls so long as no female is deprived of a roster spot on a team or sport, opportunity to participate in a practice or competition, scholarship, admission to an educational institution, or any other benefit that accompanies participating in the athletic program or activity,” the bill reads.

By Max Walker

Max Walker is an independent journalist covering politics, corruption, crime, and the economy.

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26 days ago

Call your Senators. Make sure they know how their constituents stand on this.
Get involved!

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