Washington Examiner
Tuberville bill would defund women's sports programs that allow biological men
By Juliegrace Brufke, Congressional Reporter
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) is set to introduce legislation aimed at curbing biologically male transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports.
The bill, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, is slated to be introduced on Wednesday and has more than a dozen GOP co-sponsors. It would ban federal funds from being allocated to entities that permit transgender women to participate in women's sports. The legislation also would codify Title X language stating that “sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.”
Tuberville cited his experience coaching football, arguing that he saw “incomparable success of Title IX and the educational and personal opportunities sports have provided to millions of female athletes." Before entering politics, Tuberville coached several high-profile college teams, most notably the Auburn Tigers,
“For more than 50 years, this law has empowered young women to grow personally, compete professionally, and receive scholarships to further their education. The positive impacts of a fair playing field in women’s sports are unmatched, but the Biden administration is forcing female athletes to the sidelines by allowing biological males to compete where they do not belong,” he said in a statement.
“It’s unfair, it’s unsafe, and it’s wrong," he said. "We cannot stand by and let girls and women in sports lose to the radical left’s agenda. I am proud to introduce this legislation, and will continue fighting to preserve a level playing field for all current and future female athletes.”
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Conservatives have placed a strong focus on transgender women participating in sports, arguing that it creates an uneven playing field for biological women. Liberal lawmakers have slammed the push to ban transgender women from competing in women’s athletics, arguing the practice is discriminatory and harmful.
Outside conservative groups have strongly advocated the measure, with the Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee and Heritage Action coming out in support of the bill.
"By ignoring the biological differences between men and women and forcing women to compete against men in sports, the Left is threatening to limit women's opportunities on and off the field,” Heritage Action Executive Director Jessica Anderson said in a statement. “The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act protects women’s physical safety and scholarship opportunities by making it illegal for a recipient of federal funds who operates, sponsors, or facilitates athletic programs to allow men to participate in women’s athletic teams or programs.”
The legislation is endorsed by the Independent Women’s Forum, Concerned Women for America, and Heritage Action for America.
Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT), Jim Risch (R-ID), James Lankford (R-OK), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Ted Budd (R-NC), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Mike Braun (R-IN), and Rick Scott (R-FL) have signed on to the legislation.
The reintroduction of the legislation comes ahead of the Biden administration’s push to finalize a rule concerning Title IX to revise the language to pertain to transgender people.