The House passed legislation Tuesday to protect women’s and girls school sports from biological male athletes.
“The last time my bill passed the House, not a single Democrat supported it,” bill sponsor Rep Greg. Steube, R-Fla., told The Daily Signal. “The Democrat Party should listen to the mandate we just received from America: 70% of moderate voters said [President-elect Donald] Trump’s protection of women’s sports and bathrooms was a driving factor in their vote this fall.”
The bill passed 218-206. Two Democrats, Reps. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, and Henry Cuellar D-Texas.
The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act would prohibit “a recipient of federal financial assistance who operates, sponsors, or facilitates athletic programs or activities to permit a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls.”
The measure would withhold federal funding from schools who allow males who identify as transgender females to compete on female teams.
“Congressional Democrats must recognize that the American people have spoken on this issue, and they should vote to uphold the intent of Title IX,” Steube said of the 1972 federal law empowering female athletes. “Men have no place in women’s sports.”
While Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass, supports limitations for “reasonable restrictions on transgender athletes in competitive sports,” he voted “no” on this bill because “it fails to distinguish between children and adults and different levels of athletics,” he said in explaining his vote.
Most voters oppose allowing transgender-identifying males to compete in women’s and girls sports.
Nearly three-quarters (72%) of registered voters think biological males should not be allowed to participate in women’s and girls sports, according to national polling from Scott Rasmussen shared with The Daily Signal.
Trump has pledged to “ban” transgender-identifying biological males from competing in women’s sports.
“We will get … transgender insanity the hell out of our schools,” Trump said at his Oct. 27 campaign rally at Madison Square Garden, “and we will keep men out of women’s sports.”