ABOVE: U.S. Capitol Building (Photo from Washington Blade by Michael Key)
WASHINGTON | The U.S. Congressional Equality Caucus has come out against a proposal from House Republicans to ban transgender student athletes.
“This is not about girls’ and women’s sports; it’s about attacking trans kids,” Caucus Chair Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) said in a press release March 6. “This sports ban is just the opening salvo in their larger efforts to limit the rights of and demonize the LGBTQI+ community, and the Equality Caucus will do everything it can to defeat it,” he said.
The Caucus’s issuance of the press release comes ahead of the bill’s scheduled mark-up on March 8 by the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
The legislation would bar any participation in school sports by trans athletes, stipulating that “sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth” for purposes of compliance with Title IX.
Introduced by Republican Rep. Gregory Steube (Fla.) on Feb. 1, the bill’s 43 GOP co-sponsors include Reps. Ken Buck (Ohio), Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Nancy Mace (S.C.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Jim Banks (Ind.), and George Santos (N.Y.), the scandal beleaguered gay congressman who faces multiple investigations over alleged financial crimes.
The Democratic Women’s Caucus joined the Equality Caucus in registering their opposition Monday ahead of the mark-up
“We will not let anti-LGBTQI+ Republicans—who have refused to work with us on addressing real gender equity issues—use “protecting women” as an excuse to attack trans youth,” said Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus.
Groups like the Women’s Sports Foundation and National Women’s Law Center support full and equal access and participation for trans student athletes.
