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Republicans in the House and Senate refiled a bill on Tuesday that would ban transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports. The bill, dubbed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, states that “sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.”
Reintroduced by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., the bill uses the new definition “for purposes of determining compliance with Title IX” — the landmark 1972 civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in education and school sports.
The bill was first introduced in the House in February 2023 and passed the GOP-controlled chamber in May that year. It was received in the Senate but was never sent to a vote in the chamber, where Democrats held the majority.
If passed, the legislation would ban federal funding recipients from operating, sponsoring or facilitating an athletic program that allows transgender female athletes to participate in women’s sporting events.
“President Trump ran on the issue of saving women’s sports and won in a landslide,” Sen. Tuberville said in a statement. “Seventy percent of Americans agree — men don’t belong in women’s sports or locker rooms.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Tuesday he has taken the necessary steps to place the bill on the Senate calendar.
In December, NCAA President Charlie Baker, the former Republican governor of Massachusetts, told Congress he knows 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.
