Representative Greg Steube (R-FL) has reintroduced The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, one of his signature pieces of legislation, as the 119th Congress commences.
The bill would ensure that female athletes in federally funded athletic programs compete strictly against fellow biological females and prohibit biological males, thereby complying with Title IX's recognition of reproductive biology and genetics at birth.
Rep. Steube introduced the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act in 2021, even filing a discharge petition to get it on the floor with Representative Jim Banks (R-IN). However, the effort fell short of the 218 signatures necessary for the petition to take effect.
In 2023, Rep. Steube reintroduced the bill a second time, which had more success. It passed the House of Representatives along party lines without a single Democrat vote in favor. Still, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) never brought Senator Tommy Tuberville's (R-AL) Senate version of the bill up for a vote.
With President-elect Donald Trump recently vowing to keep transgender athletes out of women's sports and a Republican majority in the House and Senate, Steube's bill is likely to become law.
In his press release, the Florida Congressman said, "The radical left is not in step with the American people on the issue of protecting women's sports. Americans have loudly spoken that they do not want men stealing sports records from women, entering their daughters' locker rooms, replacing female athletes on teams, and taking their daughters' scholarship opportunities. My legislation stands for truth, safety, and reality: men have no place in women's sports. Republicans have promised to protect women's sports, and under President Trump's leadership, we will fulfill this promise."
In February 2023, Steube criticized efforts by the Biden Administration to rewrite Title IX to accommodate for gender identity in a post on X (formerly Twitter), saying, "Biological males don't belong in women's sports or female locker rooms. We cannot allow the Biden Administration to rewrite Title IX."
