On Tuesday, January 14, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would ban transgender women and girls from participating in school-sponsored sports teams that match their gender identity.
The bill, called the Protecting Women and Girls in Sports Act, would allow any agency receiving federal funding to allow athletes who were not designated female at birth to participate in girls-only sports teams. It is forbidden to do so.
This bill does not preclude coeducational or intramural sports teams in which men and women can compete equally. Cisgender female students are also not prohibited from trying out for or participating in non-contact sports teams traditionally designated for men. The latter example is what cisgender female athletes can claim under Title IX, the federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, if a school does not offer a particular sport to female students.
The proposed transgender sports ban was approved on a near party-line vote of 218-206, with two Democrats, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, voting in favor of the bill. The third Democrat, Rep. Don Davis, voted in favor of the bill. North Carolina — Poll “Attendance”, according to new york times.
The bill now heads to the Republican-controlled Senate. But the filibuster would require seven Democrats to vote with Republicans to meet the 60-vote threshold needed to end consideration of the bill before a vote is taken.
Republicans seized on Donald Trump’s presidential victory as proof that a slew of anti-trans attack ads resonated with voters; This step was taken as a necessary measure to ensure that opportunities are not taken away. He excels by being forced to compete against athletes who were assigned male at birth. Republicans also believe this is an issue on which they agree with more Americans than Democrats, creating the perfect wedge issue to defeat Democrats in future election cycles.
The bill’s sponsor, U.S. Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.), said during the bill’s debate that “an overwhelming majority of us believe that men should not participate in women’s sports.” . “This bill fulfills the mission the American people gave Congress.”
Under a set of House rules that Republicans approved last week, this bill and 11 other measures addressing crime, immigration, fracking, anti-abortion restrictions and voting restrictions in an attempt to appease conservative voters could be filed quickly. was expected to be done. – Tracked and voted “as you read it”. This means that no amendments or changes can be made to the law.
Steube also accused the Democratic Party of beholden to “the radical left who seek to dismantle the core foundations of our society” by recognizing more than one gender, adding, “The radical left has idolized trans people.” They worship Title IX and are trying to kill Title IX.”
But Democrats say the bill violates student-athletes’ privacy and is an intrusive way to “prove” athletes (not just transgender but mostly cisgender women who don’t believe in fixed gender norms). It criticized the practice as subjecting people to medical examinations. their gender. They dubbed the bill the “Child Predator Empowerment Act,” arguing that it would subject young women to the mercy of predatory adults in the name of “proving” their gender.
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) said the bill is an example of the Republican Party’s “creepy obsession with children’s private parts,” inciting hatred against transgender youth, an already underrepresented minority. He added that it would only stir things up even more. They face high rates of bullying and harassment, which can lead to mental health problems and feelings of isolation and depression.
“This doesn’t protect girls’ rights; it disenfranchises them,” U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) said during the debate. “It puts a target on the back of every girl, every young woman who chooses to play sports. Genital testing of young girls is the wrong answer.”
Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) pushed back against claims that the bill would require athletes to undergo invasive interrogations and physical examinations, saying schools could simply rely on students’ birth certificates to He said he was just checking to see if there was. Assigned female at birth. He said Democrats understand that “the American people, their parents, their grandparents, their teachers don’t support them” when it comes to allowing transgender students to participate on teams that match their gender identity. He claimed that there was no.
Other Democrats argue that Republicans are focusing on the issue of transgender athletes in elite-level sports and transgender athletes in elementary school who have not yet reached male puberty and have gained a physiological advantage over cisgender women. They objected that this was being confused with cases in which children simply wanted to be included in the competition. Activities with friends.
LGBTQ groups denounced the bill as a discriminatory attack on transgender women and girls.
“All children have the right to a quality education, including the ability to participate in athletic programs. This bill is not motivated by consideration for women and girls involved in athletics; It is motivated by hostility towards a minority of vulnerable students,” Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, executive director of Transgender Equality Advocates, said in a statement.
“We know that school policies, whether set at the local, state, or national level, have a significant impact on bullying and harassment of LGBTQI+ students, and this bill would If signed, it will make all schools less safe for transgender students and their allies,” added Henn-Lehtinen. “…it is not the role of government to intervene in the lives of young people on behalf of their parents, but rather to ensure that all students, no matter who they are or where they live, are safe and respected in school. The focus should be on “
Approval of the sports ban comes shortly after Speaker Mike Johnson imposed a policy banning transgender people who do not match their assigned sex at birth from accessing restrooms and other intimate facilities inside the Capitol. It was done.
The bathroom ban was proposed by Rep. Nancy Mace (R.S.C.) in response to the election of Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Delaware), the first transgender member of Congress. Mace subsequently introduced legislation that would expand these restrictions by banning transgender individuals from using gender-affirming restrooms on all federal property.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
