Republicans in the House and Senate reintroduced a bill Tuesday that would ban transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports. The bill, called the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, provides that “gender shall be determined solely on the basis of a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at the time of birth.”
The bill, reintroduced by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, Republican of Alabama, would “determine compliance with Title IX,” the landmark 1972 civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in education and school sports. ‘ using the new definition.
The bill was first introduced in the House in February 2023 and passed by the Republican-led House in May of the same year. The bill was accepted by the Senate, but was not sent for a vote in the Democratic-controlled chamber.
If passed, the bill would prohibit recipients of federal funds from operating, sponsoring, or promoting athletic programs that allow transgender female athletes to participate in women’s sporting events.
“President Trump ran for office on a platform of saving women’s sports and won a landslide victory,” Tuberville said in a statement. “Seventy percent of Americans agree: Men should not belong in women’s sports or in women’s locker rooms.”
Senate Minority Leader John Thune, a Republican, said Tuesday he has taken the necessary steps to put the bill on the Senate’s calendar.
In December, NCAA president and former Republican Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker told Congress he knew of “less than 10” transgender athletes competing in college sports. According to the NCAA, more than 510,000 students participate in college athletics each year.
