The House bill, H.R. 734, which was introduced by Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) and is expected to come up for a vote this week, would deny Title IX funding to educational institutions that "permit a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designed for women or girls."
In a statement stating his intention to veto the bill, if it comes to his desk, Pres. Biden claims that H.R. 734 is discriminatory because it “targets people for who they are.”
With the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023,” Republicans have “chosen to prioritize policies that discriminate against children,” Biden says:
“Instead of addressing the pressing issues that families and students face today—such as raising teacher pay, keeping guns out of schools, addressing the mental health crisis our youth face, and helping students learn and recover academically from unprecedented disruptions—Congressional Republicans have instead chosen to prioritize policies that discriminate against children.”
“Discrimination has no place in our nation’s schools or on our playing fields,” Biden declares, even though the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023” seeks to protect female athletes from unfair competition that threatens to deny them opportunities, such as scholarships.
According to the bill, "sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth."
The full text of H.R. 734, “The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023,” is presented below:
To amend the Education Amendments of 1972 to provide that for purposes of determining compliance with title IX of such Act in athletics, sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. Short title.
This Act may be cited as the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023”.
SEC. 2. Amendment.
Section 901 of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(d) (1) It shall be a violation of subsection (a) for a recipient of Federal financial assistance who operates, sponsors, or facilitates athletic programs or activities to permit a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls.
“(2) For the purposes of this subsection, sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.
“(3) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to prohibit a recipient from permitting males to train or practice with an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls so long as no female is deprived of a roster spot on a team or sport, opportunity to participate in a practice or competition, scholarship, admission to an educational institution, or any other benefit that accompanies participating in the athletic program or activity.”