House passes bill to block males from competing in girls’ and women’s sports

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jan 14, 2025 / 18:05 pm

A bill to prevent biological males from competing in women’s and girls’ sports passed the United States House of Representatives in a mostly partisan vote Tuesday afternoon. 

The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025, sponsored by Rep. Greg Steube, R-Florida, would deny federal funding to any K–12 school, college, university, or other educational institution that permits biological males in female athletics.

“It shall be a violation … for a recipient of federal financial assistance who operates, sponsors, or facilitates an athletic program or activity to permit a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls,” the text of the four-page bill reads.

The Republican bill would do this by amending Title IX — a 1972 federal law that prohibits discrimination based on a person’s “sex.” It would clarify that the word “sex” in Title IX’s section on athletics refers to a person’s “reproductive biology and genetics at birth” — not a person’s self-professed gender identity.

“The House has delivered on its promise to protect women’s sports,” Steube said in a statement. “Americans are united in our belief that men have no place in women’s sports, whether it’s breaking records, entering locker rooms, or stealing scholarship opportunities.”

“Denying biological truth erases fairness in sports and puts women’s safety and opportunities at risk,” he said. “Today’s passage sends a clear message to the Senate — protecting women and girls in sports is not negotiable.”

The legislation passed the chamber 218-206, with 216 Republicans voting in favor of the bill and zero Republicans voting against it. Only two Democrats, Rep. Henry Cuellar and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, voted in favor of the bill. Another 206 Democrats voted against it. 

Title IX was adopted into federal law more than 50 years ago. Although the law says nothing about “gender identity,” President Joe Biden’s administration interpreted its prohibition on “sex” discrimination to include discrimination based on a person’s self-asserted “gender identity.”

Numerous states and athletic associations representing girls and women have sued the government over the administration’s reinterpretation of Title IX. The suits warned it would overrule their state laws that separate athletics, locker rooms, bathrooms, and dormitories on the basis of biological sex.

A federal court struck down the Biden-era regulation last week, finding that the Department of Education exceeded its authority in its reinterpretation and that the rule itself violates the United States Constitution.

“For over 50 years, Title IX has opened doors for millions of young women,” Rep. August Pfluger said in a statement. 

“Now, we’re reinforcing those foundations with iron-clad protections that ensure fair competition remains truly fair,” he continued. “As a father to [three] young girls, I am relieved that we are championing commonsense policies that empower and protect women’s sports.”

The bill now heads to the Senate, which has a 53-47 Republican majority. The bill needs 60 votes to overcome the filibuster and reach a final vote. This means seven Democrats would need to join Republicans in the chamber to send the bill to the president’s desk.

Several gay rights advocacy groups have expressed their opposition to the bill. 

“We all want sports to be fair, students to be safe, and young people to have the opportunity to participate alongside their peers,” Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson said in a statement after the vote.

“But this kind of blanket ban deprives kids of those things,” she said. “This bill would expose young people to harassment and discrimination, emboldening people to question the gender of kids who don’t fit a narrow view of how they’re supposed to dress or look. It could even expose children to invasive, inappropriate questions and examinations.”

Several conservative groups praised the bill.

“Girls shouldn’t be spectators in their own sports,” Alliance Defending Freedom President Kristen Waggoner said in a statement.

“Allowing males who identify as female to compete in girls’ sports ignores the biological differences between the sexes — destroying fair competition and erasing women’s athletic prospects. … As we continue to witness increasing incidents nationwide of males dominating girls’ athletic competitions, it is imperative to affirm that biology, not identity, is what matters in athletics.”

Even if the legislation is unable to pass the Senate, President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to take federal action on his first day in office to “stop the transgender lunacy,” which includes keeping “men out of women’s sports.”