US House Passes Bill to Ban Transgender Athletes from Girls', Women's Teams

The Republican-led House of Representatives has passed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which would ban transgender athletes from competing in women's and girls' sports at schools and educational institutions that receive federal funds.

However, the bill is not expected to get through the Democratic-led Senate, per Clare Foran and Shawna Mizelle of CNN.com.

Per Josh Christenson of the New York Post, no Democrats in the House approved the legislation. The vote was 219-203 down party lines.

The White House has also explicitly stated that it would veto the bill if it got to President Joe Biden's desk, although it is not expected to get that far.

The bill was introduced by Rep. Greg Steube of Florida's 17th congressional district.

"Parents do not want biological men in locker rooms with their daughters, nor do they believe it's equitable a male can compete with women in female athletics," Steube said in part during a floor speech Wednesday, per Scott Wong of NBC News.

Rep. Mark Takano of California's 39th congressional district also spoke and stated that "his friends on the other side of the aisle do not recognize trans people as human beings."

"We know transgender students already face widespread bullying and discrimination," Takano said Wednesday, per Wong. "Adding to their pain by targeting their participation in school sports is both wrong and dangerous."

A bill summary reads as follows:

"Specifically, the bill provides that it is a violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 for federally funded education programs or activities to operate, sponsor, or facilitate athletic programs or activities that allow individuals of the male sex to participate in programs or activities that are designated for women or girls. (Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded education programs or activities, including in public elementary and secondary schools and in colleges and universities.) Under the bill, sex is based on an individual's reproductive biology and genetics at birth."

The Movement Advancement Project (h/t Annie Karni of the New York Times) reports that 21 states have already enacted laws banning transgender athletes from playing sports aligned with their gender identity.

However, the bill doesn't appear to have a chance of passing on the federal level. The White House's statement on the matter read in part:

"Discrimination has no place in our nation's schools or on our playing fields. At a time when transgender youth already face a nationwide mental health crisis, with half of transgender youth in a recent survey saying they have seriously considered suicide, a national law that further stigmatizes these children is completely unnecessary, hurts families and students, and would only put students at greater risk."

The bill would need 51 votes to pass in the Senate just to get there, but that would appear to be a moot point with Democrats holding the majority (48 Democrats but three independents who caucus with them).