BOSTON — Members of the state’s congressional delegation joined other House Democrats in voting against a bill supported by Republican President-elect Donald Trump that seeks to ban transgender girls from competing in school sports by withholding federal funds.
The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which passed the GOP-controlled House on Tuesday on a 218-206 vote, would amend the 1972 Title IX law that outlawed sex-based discrimination to force schools to follow strict gender definitions “based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.”
That would effectively exclude from most athletic competitions any students who were assigned male at birth but have since transitioned to the female gender. School districts that allow transgender students to compete could see their federal funding revoked under the proposal.
Democrats overwhelmingly voted against the measure, saying the bill is discriminatory and warning that it could open the door to sexual abuse and invasive scrutiny of girls’ bodies.
House Whip Katherine Clark said the bill “puts a target on the back of every girl, every young woman who chooses to play sports — whether that’s tee ball to competitive collegiate athletes.”
Rep. Lori Trahan said the GOP proposal provides no guidance on how to enforce a ban, “leaving the door open to requirements that girls prove their gender when they are accused of not being girls.”
“The consequences of that approach will be devastating,” the Westford Democrat said in remarks. “Girls as young as four years old being subjected to invasive lines of questioning about their bodies and even physical inspections by an adult, a stranger, a predator? All because some creep accuses them of not being a girl.”
“What parent would want to put their daughter through that?” she said. “I know I wouldn’t.”
Rep. Seth Moulton, a Salem Democrat, said said the Republican proposal “goes too far” because “it fails to distinguish between children and adults and different levels of athletics, school-aged kids who simply want to play recreational sports and build camaraderie like everybody else could be targeted by the federal government.”
“My kids play co-ed sports today just as I did when I was their age, and I don’t want any kids their age subjected to the invasive violations of personal privacy this bill allows,” he said.
Moulton, who faced backlash over previous comments about transgender athletes, reiterated his position that there should be “reasonable restrictions” on transgender athletes in competitive sports, which he called “a matter of safety and fairness” for female athletes.
“There is no denying that there are biological differences that result from being born male,” he said. “Ignoring this scientific fact and opposing any attempt at regulation is not only wrong, but it undermines what I believe should be a broader effort to enshrine core civil rights protections for transgender Americans.”
The bill’s sponsor, Florida Rep. Greg Steube, argued that the legislation is aimed at preserving Title IX’s original intent of guaranteeing equal opportunities for men and women.
“Men have no place in women’s sports,” the Republican said in remarks on Tuesday. “All throughout humanity, we have recognized as a species that there are women and there are men, as God created, who are obviously biologically different and, dare I say, scientifically different.”
Hundreds of LGBTQ and civil rights groups had called on Congress to reject the bill, which they said would further isolate and discriminate against transgender young people.
The measure now moves to the GOP-controlled Senate, where it faces an uncertain future given the chamber’s filibuster rule that requires 60 members to agree on most legislation.
The issue of transgender women competing in women’s sports was a central issue in November’s presidential election. President-elect Donald Trump, who takes over the White House next week, has vowed to repeal protections for transgender students under the Title IX federal civil rights law.
Nearly 70% of U.S. adults say transgender athletes should be allowed to compete only on sports teams that correspond with the sexes they were assigned at birth, according to a 2023 Gallup poll.
Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.