Washington.- The House of Representatives of the United States, led by the Republicans, approved this Thursday a bill that prohibits schools and universities that receive funds from the federal government from allowing transgender athletes whose biological sex assigned at birth is male to compete in girls’ or women’s sports teams.
The bill passed by a vote of 219-203 is unlikely to go any further because the Democratic-led Senate will not support it and the White House has already announced that President Joe Biden will veto it.
Supporters pointed out that the law — violators of which risk losing taxpayer money — is necessary to ensure competitive fairness. They classified the proposal as support for female athletes who are left at a disadvantage by having to compete against those whose gender identity does not match the sex assigned at birth. Critics criticized the bill for excluding an already vulnerable group for political gain.
So far at least 20 state governments have imposed similar limits on transgender athletes at the K-12 or college level.
The bill would amend landmark civil rights legislation passed more than 50 years ago. The change in law would prohibit recipients of federal funds from allowing a person “whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity designated for women or girls.” The bill defines sex as “based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.”
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., highlighted the case of Emma Weyant, a resident of his district and a member of the 2020 United States Olympic swimming team, who finished second in the women’s collegiate freestyle championships. the 500 meter National Collegiate Sports Association (NCAA) race last year. She was defeated by Lia Thomas, who had competed for three years on the University of Pennsylvania men’s swim team before joining the women’s team.
“The integrity of women’s sports must be protected,” Steube said.
Congressman Aaron Bean, a Florida Republican, said that every time a man occupies a lane in the pool or at the starting line, a female athlete loses the opportunity to compete.
“We are in a battle for the very survival of women’s sports,” Bean said.
