Two Democrats in the House of Representatives voted along with Republican representatives ban transgender athletes from participating in female school sports teams.
The Protecting Women and Girls in Sports Act, led by Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., would amend federal law to require student athletes to participate on school sports teams that match their birth gender.
Senate Republicans have already signaled that they intend to take up the bill soon.
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Republicans advocate limiting the participation of transgender people in sports, especially for women’s teams (Chip Somodevilla)
The change would apply to everyone federally funded schools kindergarten through high school, as well as colleges and universities that receive federal dollars.
It comes after several Democrats spoke out against their own party’s laser focus on inclusivity and progressivism, arguing that the far left leaves no room for disagreement on issues like transgender youth.
Notably, however, some Democrats who have raised such issues — such as Reps. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., and Seth Moulton, D-Mass. – voted against the bill.
Republicans have championed the bill as an attempt to protect women and girls from unfair sports standards.
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Florida Republican Rep. Greg Steube first introduced the bill in the 118th Congress (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., challenged Democrats on the bill during his weekly news conference Tuesday.
“Everybody talks about their kids these days. I have two sons and two daughters and we can see the difference. Of course everyone is talking. And it’s kind of silly to deny it,” Johnson said. “The American people sent a clear message in November. They want us to return to common sense, and we’ll see if the Democrats heard that message.”
Tail. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., said during debate on the draft law, “Why do we even have to discuss this? The idea that we would have XY men competing and taking the place of women and girls in sports is just unbelievable to me.”
“Where are we in society to do this? Where are the feminists? Where are the people who fought so hard to get rights for women?” LaMalfa asked.
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But most Democrats fiercely opposed the bill, with Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., and others calling it the “GOP Predator Child Empowerment Act.”
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Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Ore., asserted, “This bill sets an unfair playing field where any parent can raise concerns about a transgender girl playing on a girls’ team,” noting that such cases are rare.
The bill previously passed the House of Representatives in 2023 by a 219-203 vote, but was never considered in the previously Democratic-controlled Senate.
