Congress to Hear Bill Banning Transgender Athletes From Women’s Sports After New Rules Package Passes

The new Republican-controlled Congress has announced that a bill prohibiting transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports will be heard in the coming sessions. This follows the passage of a rules package by the House on January 3, 2025, which sets the legislative priorities for the 119th Congress.

Representative Greg Steube from Florida, who celebrated the vote, is set to reintroduce the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. The bill aims to ensure that only biological females compete in women’s sports sponsored or operated by institutions receiving federal funding.

“The radical left is not in step with the American people on the issue of protecting women’s sports,” Steube stated. This reflects a campaign promise by President-elect Trump and other Republican leaders who have vowed to ban transgender athletes from women’s sports, an issue that became significantly highlighted during the 2024 election cycle.

The legislation has garnered support from various women’s activist groups, including the Concerned Women for America (CWA). Macy Petty, CWA’s legislative strategist, emphasized the urgency of the bill, stating, “There’s no question this ought to be a legislative priority in the 119th Congress. The Biden administration and company have launched a full-scale attack on women’s dignity. Leadership must act promptly to restore sensibility to public policy and immediately take young girls out of the disastrous fires of woke ideology.”

The bill, if passed, would amend the Education Amendments of 1972, specifically Title IX, to recognize sex based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth for athletic participation.

This legislative push comes after a year marked by numerous controversies involving transgender athletes in women’s sports across the U.S., leading to calls for such federal action. Previously, Democrats had introduced bills like the Equality Act and the Transgender Bill of Rights to support transgender inclusion in sports, but these efforts have seen less support as the political landscape has shifted, especially after the Biden administration withdrew a proposed rule in late December that would have prevented states from banning transgender athletes in women’s sports.

Heritage Action, a conservative advocacy group, has also expressed support for the House’s agenda, including this bill, stating, “Congress must now begin the work to enact a bold conservative agenda.”

A national exit poll by the CWA legislative action committee underscored the public’s stance on this matter, with 70% of moderate voters considering Trump’s opposition to transgender athletes in women’s sports and facilities as an important issue, and 6% ranking it as the most significant issue.

Article generated from corporate media reports.