Introduce bill to Save Title IX

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) introduced the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act , which will preserve Title IX protections for female athletes and protect fair, safe competition in women’s sports across the country. This legislation would counteract the Biden administration’s plans to finalize rules in May that will force institutions to allow biological males to share spaces with females and compete in women’s sports. 

“Life isn’t fair, but sports should be. There are physical differences between men and women, boys and girls, and a failure to acknowledge these differences in sport competition creates an unfair disadvantage to women and girls. Through the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, Congress can ensure female athletes can safely compete on a level playing field,” said Risch.

“The protections provided to women and girls by Title IX are being challenged by the Left’s radical ideologies,” said Crapo. “America’s female athletes deserve respect, fairness and safety in their chosen activities without the threat of being sidelined by biological males competing in women’s sports.”

“Throughout my coaching career, I saw the incomparable success of Title IX and the educational and personal opportunities sports have provided to millions of female athletes,”  said Tuberville. “For more than 50 years, this law has empowered young women to grow personally, compete professionally, and receive scholarships to further their education. The positive impacts of a fair playing field in women’s sports are unmatched, but the Biden administration is forcing female athletes to the sidelines by allowing biological males to compete where they do not belong. It’s unfair, it’s unsafe, and it’s wrong. We cannot stand by and let girls and women in sports lose to the radical left’s agenda. I am proud to introduce this legislation, and will continue fighting to preserve a level playing field for all current and future female athletes.”

In June 2022, Senator Risch met with several Idahoans advocating on behalf of female athletes. Two of those advocates were Madison Kenyon and Mary Kate Marshall, who have both voiced support for the Senator’s efforts on this bill. Kenyon and Marshall live in Pocatello and attend Idaho State University.

“As a cross-country runner for Idaho State University, I’ve been forced to compete repeatedly against a male athlete—and lost each and every race. Losing unfairly to someone who has natural advantages is frustrating and disheartening. Title IX opened doors for female athletes to chase their dreams and be rewarded for their hard work. Now, those same opportunities are in jeopardy for young women across the country, which is why we must continue fighting to preserve the category of female sports,” said Madison Kenyon.

“I enthusiastically support this bill because this is not just about me—this is about every girl who wants the chance to compete on a level playing field. Sports have played such an important role in my life. I’m not just doing this for my teammates and me; I’m doing this to preserve these opportunities for the next generation of women too. If women’s sports as we know it disappears, girls in the future won’t enjoy the same benefits of sport that I have. That is why I’m standing today for fairness in women’s sports,” said Mary Kate Marshall.

The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act:

• Ensures Title IX provisions treat gender as “recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.”
• Bans recipients of federal funding from operating, sponsoring, or facilitating athletic programs that permit a male to participate in a women’s sporting event.

Joining the Senators in introducing this legislation are U.S. Senators Mike Lee (R-Utah), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kan.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.).

The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act has been endorsed by the Independent Women’s Forum, Concerned Women for America, and Heritage Action for America.

BACKGROUND

Last year, on the 50th Anniversary of Title IX’s enactment, the U.S. Department of Education issued a proposed rule to allow biological males to compete in women’s sports. Senators Tuberville and Risch offered a public comment to the proposed rule, citing concerns about the negative implications it would cause for female athletes. The department proceeded forward with its decision to finalize the rule, which is now expected to be published in May of this year. It is expected that the rule will take effect during the 2023-2024 school year.

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