House Republicans try to force a vote on barring male-born athletes from female sports

The debate over allowing male-born athletes in female sports based on gender identity has played out for years in state legislatures, but House Republicans want to take on the issue in Washington.

Republican Reps. Greg Steube of Florida and Jim Banks of Indiana have filed a discharge petition to bring to the House floor the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, or HR 426, seeking to force a vote on a hot-button issue ahead of the November election.

“Instead of paying lip service to women, I hope my colleagues across the aisle will actually do something for women and girls by signing onto this petition,” said Mr. Steube in a statement. “As the left perpetuates a craze to eliminate gender, the American people deserve to know where their elected representatives stand on protecting women’s sports.”

The bill was introduced on Jan. 21, 2021, the day after President Biden took office. It has gone nowhere in the Democrat-controlled House Education and Labor Committee.

Meanwhile, 15 states have passed laws barring male-born athletes who identify as female from competing in girls’ or women’s sports, an issue that drew international attention last month when swimmer Lia Thomas became the first biological male to win a women’s NCAA Division I title.

“By refusing to allow a vote on protecting women’s sports, Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi is enabling Congress to evade this critical and timely issue facing students across the country,” said Mr. Steube.

The petition, which was filed Tuesday, had gathered 62 signatures as of Thursday. It needs 218 signatures to force the House leadership to bring the bill to the floor.

The Republicans will need some Democratic members to sign on to get 218 signatures.

Mr. Banks, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, warned that Title IX, which prohibits discrimination based on sex, is in danger of being “effectively destroyed.”

“House Republicans must respond by strengthening protections for female athletes and by forcing Democrats to publicly state whether they support women’s right to compete on a level playing field,” said Mr. Banks.

Tonight #RSC Republicans filed a discharge petition to force my bill to protect women’s sports to the floor.

As the left perpetuates a craze to eliminate gender, the American people deserve to know where their elected representatives stand on this critical issue. pic.twitter.com/8kRuS3xG78

— Congressman Greg Steube (@RepGregSteube) April 26, 2022

Fighting such laws are groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union, which argues that “trans women are women” and has sought to have them included in female-only categories in areas such as sports, prisons and public accommodations.

“Across the country, we’ve seen bill after bill claiming to solve a problem in women’s sports, yet in actuality serving only to harm already marginalized youth,” said Athlete Ally spokesperson Joanna Hoffman in a March 23 statement. “Anti-transgender athlete bills do nothing to protect women’s sports or to ensure fairness.

The House passed in February 2021 the Equality Act, which would bar discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in a host of areas, including education, meaning that the bill would presumably apply to K-12 and collegiate athletics.

In addition, the Biden administration is expected to release in the next few weeks its updated Title IX rule that likely will require states to allow men who identify as women to participate in women’s sports, according to Heritage Action for America.

Backing the effort to discharge the bill are conservative groups such as the American Principles Project, CatholicVote, Concerned Women for America, Eagle Forum, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, Family PAC Federal, Family Policy Alliance, Family Research Council, Heritage Action and the Independent Women’s Forum.

“When biological differences are ignored, women and girls bear the brunt of the harm,” said Alliance Defending Freedom senior counsel Christiana Kiefer. “The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act would remedy this by guaranteeing female athletes across the country a fair and level playing field.”

The petition is also backed by the Women’s Declaration International USA and Women’s Liberation Front, feminist groups that have broken with the left to push for keeping single-sex categories.

“No woman or girl should be forced to compete against a male, regardless of how that male ‘identifies,’” said the WoLF statement. “The protection of women’s sports is a non-partisan issue; it affects women and girls throughout our country, in every state and in every neighborhood.”

Sen. Mike Lee, Utah Republican, has sponsored the bill in the Senate.

“This is about more than sports – this is a women’s civil rights issue,” said Heritage Action executive director Jessica Anderson. “The legislation led by Senator Lee and Representative Steube would keep Title IX protections intact and block the Biden administration from ignoring the realities of natural biology.”