RALEIGH — Both chambers of Congress are running bills aimed at barring biological males from competing on female sports teams.
Both bills update the Education Amendments of 1972 as it pertains to Title IX, specifically requiring that “sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.”
Any state or local recipients of federal funds operating sports teams who do not comply with that definition and allow males to compete on female teams would be deemed in violation and could have funding withheld.
The U.S. House introduced. H.R. 28 was on Jan. 3 by
U.S. Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) introduced H.R. 28, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025, on Jan. 3, and the bill passed Jan. 14 by a vote of 218-206.
“Today is a great day in America because House Republicans just passed @RepGregSteube’s Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act ensuring men cannot compete in women’s sports,” U.S. House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) said in a post on X. “Men are men, women are women, and men cannot become women. It’s just that simple.”
Two Texas Democrats, Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez, joined Republicans in voting for the bill.
North Carolina Democratic Reps. Alma Adams, Valerie Foushee and Deborah Ross voted no on the bill, while Rep. Don Davis voted “present.”
“Americans are saying ENOUGH to biological men taking away opportunities for women in sports,” wrote U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) in a post on X after the passage of the bill. “With the bipartisan passage of the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, the House is demanding fairness in sports. Let’s not forget why Title IX was needed in the first place.”
On Jan. 7, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act was reintroduced by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.). Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) joined Tuberville in the reintroduction of the bill, and Sen. Thom Tillis joined as a co-sponsor along with 28 other senators.
“There are biological differences between men and women, and if we ignore those differences, we threaten future opportunities for female athletes and the entire notion of women’s sports,” Budd said in a statement. “That’s why Senator Tuberville’s bill is so important. It simply ensures that Title IX protections are clearly defined by a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth. Bottom line: Female athletes should compete against other female athletes. It’s that simple.”
Under Tuberville’s bill, gender under Title IX would be “recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth,” and would ban recipients of federal funding from “operating, sponsoring, or facilitating athletic programs that permit a male to participate in a women’s sporting event.”
Tuberville’s bill had the backing of multiple groups, including the Independent Women’s Voice, Concerned Women for America, Heritage Action for America and Family Policy Alliance.
In late December 2024, the Biden administration withdrew its Title IX rule change that changed the definition of sex to include gender identity. The Biden Department of Education cited the “multiple pending lawsuits” against the Title IX rule change as the main reason it was filing a Federal Register withdrawal notice.
Additionally, a federal judge barred Biden’s Title IX rule change from taking effect nationwide in a January 2024 ruling in the case of Tennessee v. Miguel Cardona, secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.
