House Passes Bill Banning Transgender Athletes from Women's Teams

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Facts

  • The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives passed legislation that would ban transgender athletes who were born male from competing on girls' or women’s sports teams at federally supported schools and colleges.1
  • Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) sponsored the Protection of Women and Girls Sports Act, which would amend Title IX to prohibit schools from allowing people “whose sex is male” from participating in sports designated for females.2
  • The bill defines a person’s sex based solely on his reproductive biology and genetics at birth. However, transgender students would still be able to practice or train with a program designated for girls and women.3
  • The House vote was split along party lines, with all 219 “yes” votes coming from Republicans and all 203 “no” votes coming from Democrats. Despite being passed by the House, the bill is unlikely to survive a Democratic-controlled Senate, and Pres. Biden has said he would veto the bill if necessary.4
  • The Protection of Women and Girls Sports Act comes as 20-plus states have already imposed limits on trans athletes competing at the K-12 or collegiate level.1

Sources: 1Associated Press, 2NBC, 3POLITICO, and 4FOX News.

Narratives

  • Republican narrative, as provided by Breitbart. The GOP is on the side of fairness and sanity as it passes the Protection of Women and Girls Sports Act. The biological differences between men and women are apparent, and we see these differences so starkly when a biological male competes against a woman. This legislation is a victory not only for women but also for science and decency.
  • Democratic narrative, as provided by Civil Rights. This act is just the GOP’s latest attack on the rights of transgender people. The GOP is not concerned with fairness to women; it's only concerned with promoting a political agenda. Transgender students don't harm their cisgender counterparts in any way, but this legislation strips this demographic of their rights to play on teams that align with who they are.