Bill to ban men in women’s sports passes House with bipartisan support

Legislation heads to Senate after 2 Democrats joined Republicans in supporting it

With bipartisan support, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act passed the U.S. House on Tuesday.

The vote was 218 to 206, with all Republicans and two Democrats, Texas Reps. Vincente Gonzalez and Henry Cuellar, voting in favor. A third Democrat, North Carolina Rep. Don Davis, voted present rather than take a side on the legislation, the Washington Examiner reports.

House Speaker Mike Johnson celebrated the vote at a news conference afterward, describing the legislation as “common sense.”

“Men cannot become women,” Johnson said, according to a video from the conference, shared on X by American Parents Coalition leader Alleigh Marré.

“It’s sad that we have to say that. It’s a matter of biology. It’s how we’re made. And if we try to ignore that or to undo it, we do so at our peril and to the detriment of our daughters,” Johnson said.

Joining lawmakers, former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines (pictured) said she was “thrilled” to hear the House passed the bill.

“We are one step closer as a nation to making sure that not one more male athlete is able to take a trophy, a roster spot, playing time, resources or an opportunity to compete from a woman,” Gaines said at the conference.

U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, the lead sponsor of the legislation, stated in a news release that the bill will “allows women and girls a fair playing field in competitive sports by ensuring that school athletics comply with the Title IX recognition of a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.”

🚨BREAKING: The House just passed my bipartisan bill, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act.

Thank you to my colleagues who voted to protect the fairness and safety of women! Men have no place in women’s sports.https://t.co/sSjW9stryR pic.twitter.com/OwqoDh58hy

— Congressman Greg Steube (@RepGregSteube) January 14, 2025

Under the bill, all schools that receive federal funding must keep athletics separated by students’ biological sex.

However, most House Democrats opposed the bill, some describing it as “hateful” and a “waste of time,” the Examiner reports:

Ahead of the vote, Democrats blasted the bill as “hateful” and “prejudiced” during debate on the House floor and in caucus, with many lawmakers arguing that it is an invasion of privacy for young children.

“There is only one way for you to enforce this, which is to literally get — and I’m a parent — get in your child’s business, ask them to show them their genitals, or call the parents like, what is wrong with you?” Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT) told the Washington Examiner ahead of the vote. …

Democrats spent much of Tuesday centering their messaging on Republicans’ legislative slate, arguing the GOP campaigned on economic issues but has spent the first weeks of the 119th Congress pushing partisan politics.

“We are two weeks into the 119th Congress and already the GOP is wasting our time on political messaging bills,” Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) said during the debate.

Now, the legislation heads to the U.S. Senate where its fate is less certain. Republicans hold a majority with 53 seats, but Senate rules require 60 votes to overcome a filibuster.

In related news, last week, a federal judge blocked President Joe Biden’s pro-transgender changes to Title IX nationwide, The College Fix reported.

Under the rule, the administration added gender identity to Title IX, allowing female-identifying men into women’s bathrooms and sports programs, and requiring others to address them with their preferred pronouns — alongside other provisions unrelated to transgender issues.

MORE: GOP-led House fast tracks bill to ban men in women’s sports

IMAGE: C-SPAN

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