A group of Republican senators introduced a bill that could prohibit transgender women from competing in women’s sports.
Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler joined Utah Sen. Mike Lee, Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, and Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford in introducing legislation on Tuesday that would pull funding from any Title IX school that allows biological males to participate in women’s athletics. Loeffler, who owns part of a Women’s National Basketball Association team, said the legislation is necessary to ensure women have equal access to athletic opportunities.
“Title IX established a fair and equal chance for women and girls to compete, and sports should be no exception,” Loeffler said in a statement. “As someone who learned invaluable life lessons and built confidence playing sports throughout my life, I’m proud to lead this legislation to ensure girls of all ages can enjoy those same opportunities. This commonsense bill protects women and girls by safeguarding fairness and leveling the athletic field that Title IX guarantees.”
In a press release about the legislation, Loeffler noted that biological men have dominated events in women’s track and field. She pointed to a lawsuit that was filed in Connecticut after two biological men swept several events at the state track and field championships. The senators argued that allowing biological men to compete against women has rendered Title IX useless.
“Maintaining the integrity of healthy competition is crucial for the future of women and girls in sports,” Blackburn said. “Schools and universities that allow males to participate in women’s sports defeats the purpose of Title IX.”
“Men and women are biologically different. That’s just a scientific fact. For the safety of female athletes and for the integrity of women’s sports, we must honor those differences on a fair field of competition,” Lee added.
