Aderholt: Bill protecting female athletes ‘victory for common sense in athletics;’ Tuberville calls for Senate to act

WASHINGTON – With the House passing the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville called on the Senate to back the fight to protect women and girls in sports.

Among the Title IX-related actions are a bill to assess and prevent violence against women in athletics, a resolution calling on the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to revoke its transgender student-athlete eligibility policy, and a resolution declaring Oct. 10 as “American Girls in Sports Day,” which Democrats blocked last Congress.

“Last week, I introduced the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which cuts funding for schools that allow men to participate in spaces designated for women,” Tuberville (R-Auburn) said. “I’m glad to see the House pass its version on a bipartisan basis and urge Majority Leader John Thune to bring my bill to the floor for a vote.”

Tuberville’s legislation would reverse the Department of Education rule that forces schools to allow males to share private spaces with females and compete in women’s sports — or risk losing their funding.

The House version of Tuberville’s bill passed the House by a vote of 218-206 Tuesday.

“Today’s passage of H.R. 28, The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, is a victory for fairness and common sense in athletics,” said U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville), chairman of the House Values Action Team. “This legislation reaffirms the original intent of Title IX by ensuring that women and girls have a level playing field in sports — free from unfair competition. I commend Speaker Johnson, Chairman Walberg, Representatives Steube, Miller, and Van Duyne, and Riley Gaines for their leadership on this critical issue.

“This is about protecting opportunities for female athletes to compete, succeed, and excel, as intended when Title IX was enacted. The American people have made it clear: they value fairness, and today, we delivered on that principle.” 

 The three bills introduced are:

• The Fair Play for Girls Act would require the U.S. Attorney General to submit an analysis of violence against women in athletics to Congress as well as policy recommendations to support these young women. Read full text of the legislation here.
• A resolution calling on the NCAA to revoke its transgender student-athlete eligibility policy. It urges the NCAA to require its member conferences to conform to this biological sex-based policy across all sports and all divisions and calls on all sports-governing bodies in the U.S. to protect the category of women’s sports for biological women and girls. Read full text of the resolution here.
• The “American Girls in Sports Day” resolution would recognize Oct. 10 as “American Girls in Sports Day” to celebrate the accomplishments of female athletes.

“Sports offer unlimited opportunities and teach great life lessons to our young women and girls,” said Tuberville. “As a former coach, I have seen firsthand the impact that Title IX has had on women’s sports. I’m grateful to be working with my friend, Sen. Blackburn, to restore sanity as we continue to fight for women and girls everywhere.”

The House bill amends the Education Amendments of 1972 to comply with the original intent of Title IX, making the recognition of sex solely based on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth. This bill also clarifies that recipients of federal funding violate the Title IX prohibition against sex discrimination if they allow a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program designed for women or girls.  

The Senate version introduced by Tuberville would:

• Ensure Title IX provisions treat gender as “recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.”
• Ban recipients of federal funding from operating, sponsoring, or facilitating athletic programs that permit a male to participate in a women’s sporting event.