Citing cases around the country where male-bodied transgender athletes are dominating female sports, this week, U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., continued to push his “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act” last week with the support of the GOP’s leadership in the U.S. House.
When he first brought out the bill at the start of 2020, the congressman insisted the bill will “ensure that women and girls are allowed a fair playing field in competitive sports by prohibiting the use of Title IX funds to support women’s sports in which biological male athletes are allowed to participate against biological women athletes.” The bill would have “biological females compete against other biological females in women’s competitive sports that are funded through Title IX” and “requires that sex for the purpose of sport be determined by the athlete’s sex as determined by a physician at birth.”
“By forcing biological female athletes to compete against biological male athletes in competitive sports, we are taking away women’s opportunities on and off the field,” Steube said. “These unfair policies discount the hard work and determination put in by our female athletes and give biological male athletes an unfair advantage in joining teams, setting records and earning scholarships.”
Back in the spring of 2019, from his seat on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, Steube brought out an amendment to the “Equality Act” which would “ensure that nothing in the bill could be construed to require biological females to compete against biological males in sports.” Steube’s amendment was shot down by the Democrat majority on the committee.
In April, Steube filed a discharge petition with the support of U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., the chairman of the Republican Study Committee (RSC). Last week, Steube and Banks joined Republican House members and former athletes to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX.
“It’s a sad day in America when we have to pass a bill to say that women’s sports will be women’s sports and men’s sports will be men’s sports,” Steube said. “Fifty years of equality for women on the athletic field would be destroyed by what this administration wants to do.”
U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., attended the event as more than 185 Republicans in the House have been the discharge petition.
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