The House passed a Republican-led bill that would seek to ban transgender athletes from participating on high school sports teams that align with their gender identity rather than their biological sex, raising concerns from Democrats the implementation of the proposal will be too intrusive.
The bill passed with a 219-203 vote and now heads to the Senate for consideration, where it's unlikely to pass the Democratic-led chamber. Even if it did, the bill would almost certainly face a veto from President Joe Biden, who threatened earlier this week to block the measure.
DEMOCRATS SAY ‘CREEPY’ GOP TRANSGENDER ATHLETES BILL WOULD REQUIRE GENITAL INSPECTIONS
If enacted, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act would prohibit biological males from competing in female sports by mandating one’s sex to be “based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.” The bill mirrors similar legislation that has been passed by state governments nationwide over the last few years.
"This is exactly what we want: to protect biological girls being able to fairly compete against other biological girls in the sports," said Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) ahead of the vote on Thursday. "I don't care how many surgeries you have. I don't care how many chemicals you put into your body. You're not going to be a biological woman. Anyone who claims to be a feminist or believe in what feminism was founded upon should stand with us and vote for this bill to protect and preserve women's sports for real biological women and girls."
House Democrats pushed back on the bill before its passage earlier this week, referring to the legislation as the Politics over Participation Act. Several Democratic leaders denounced the bill for being too vague, arguing it would allow school officials to intrude on students’ privacy.
“This is a creepy bill,” Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA), vice chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, told reporters on Tuesday. “The only way to enforce this bill is to empower school officials to inspect the genitals of kids. ... Let's work on actual things that matter to the American people.”
Other Democrats echoed similar comments, noting the bill was unnecessary because several athletic organizations already have rules in place limiting transgender athletes’ participation in some cases.
“This is Republican culture wars going into our classrooms from Washington, D.C. There are already rules, and there are already organizations who are taking the lead on this,” Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-CA) said Tuesday. “Are Republicans advocating for coaches to inspect young women? For a referee or an athletic director? That's what this is about. And so if you have a young daughter playing sports, you should be incredibly concerned about this bill because that's the next step.”
Republicans pushed back on those attacks, arguing the legislation is not a matter of culture wars but rather an attempt to erase women. Additionally, female Republicans called the bill important to protect young female athletes.
"Young girls are being exposed to male genitalia and have to undress themselves and expose their own bodies to these biological males," said Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI). "Let's stop distorting reality. It's beyond disgusting. And I cannot believe that we are subjecting the girls to this kind of exploitation, it makes me sick to my stomach."
The bill would still allow transgender females to train and practice with female sports teams so long as the athlete’s participation does not prevent a biological female athlete from being included on the roster.
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The House also passed an amendment proposed by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-GA) to compel the comptroller general to carry out a study to determine any adverse psychological or sociological effects to girls who play against biological males "including hostile environment creation, sexual assault, and sexual harassment." Mace offered strong words about the bill ahead of its passage, calling it unfair for females to play against transgender athletes who are "much stronger" and have "much greater physical capabilities" to compete.
"It's complete and total bulls***," she said.
The legislation comes as 21 states already have laws in place that ban transgender athletes from participating in sports that align with their gender identity, with three of those states stalled as they face court challenges. If passed, the legislation would amend Title IX, which is a comprehensive law enacted nationwide that prohibits discrimination based on sex.