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Two House Democrats have voted alongside Republican lawmakers ban athletes born male to participate in girls’ school sports teams.
The Protecting Women and Girls in Sports Act, led by Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., would amend federal law to specify that student athletes must participate on school sports teams that match their gender in to be born
Reps. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, and Vicente Gonzales, D-Texas, were the lone Democrats to vote for the bill as it passed 218 to 206. Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., voted “present” .
All three won re-election by razor-thin margins in districts that have trended redder over the years.
Senate Republicans have already indicated they intend to take up the bill soon.
Republicans have been pushing to restrict participation in transgender sports, especially for girls’ teams. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The change would apply to all federally funded schools from kindergarten through high school, as well as colleges and universities that receive federal dollars.
It comes after several Democrats spoke out against their own party’s laser focus on inclusion and progressivism, arguing that the far left left no room for dissent on issues such as transgender youth.
Notably, however, some Democrats who raised these issues, such as Reps. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., and Seth Moulton, D-Mass., voted against the bill.
Republicans have defended the bill as an attempt to protect women and girls from unfair athletic standards.
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Florida Republican Rep. Greg Steube first introduced the bill in the 118th Congress. (AFP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., challenged Democrats on the bill during his weekly news conference Tuesday.
“Everybody talks about their kids today. I have two sons and two daughters, and we see the difference. Of course everyone does. And it’s kind of silly to deny that,” Johnson said. “The American people sent a clear message in November. They want us to return to common sense, and we’ll see if Democrats have heard that message.”
Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., said during debate on the bill, “Why do we even have to talk about this? It amazes me that the idea that we would have XY males competing and taking the place of women and girls in sports is mind-boggling.”
“Where are we in society that we’re doing this? Where are the feminists? Where are the people who fought so hard to get women’s rights?” LaMalfa asked.
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But most Democrats vehemently opposed the bill, with Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., and others dubbing it “The GOP Child Predator Empowerment Act.”
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Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Ore., argued, “This bill sets an unfair playing field that any parent can raise concerns about a transgender girl playing on an all-girls team,” though she noted that such cases were rare.
“These decisions should be left to parents, coaches, teachers and families, not DC politicians. Furthermore, this bill could open the door to young girls experiencing intrusive questioning, or worse. I will not make a stamp of bad politics. Republicans should stop focusing on the culture wars and start working to reduce costs, invest in public education and increase access to affordable health care,” freshman Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Va., said after the bill passed.
The bill previously passed the House in 2023 on a 219-203 vote, but was never taken up in the former Democratic-controlled Senate.
