One of Trump's Presidential Campaign Promises
A bill restricting the participation of transgender women in sports, one of the campaign promises of President-elect Donald Trump, has passed the U.S. House of Representatives.
According to The Washington Post (WP), the House passed the "Protecting Women and Girls in Sports Act" on the 14th (local time) with 218 votes in favor and 206 against. The bill prohibits individuals who have transitioned to female from competing in women's sports. All Republican members present voted in favor, while two Democrats broke ranks to support the bill.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is giving a speech on the 14th (local time) after a bill restricting the participation of transgender women in sports was passed. Photo by UPI Yonhap News
The bill amends the "Title IX" provision of the U.S. Education Amendments. Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities receiving federal funding, and this amendment applies it to sports competitions by determining an athlete's sex solely based on the reproductive organs and genetics assigned at birth. In other words, students born male who transition to female will not be eligible to participate in women's sports.
Republican Representative Greg Steube, who introduced the bill, stated, "Our culture and civilization continue to be plagued by the absurd lie that there are more than two sexes, that a man can be a woman and a woman can be a man," emphasizing, "The overwhelming majority of Americans believe that men do not belong in women's sports and that common sense must prevail."
House Speaker Mike Johnson also remarked, "Through the Bible and nature, we know that a man is a man and a woman is a woman, and a man cannot become a woman," adding, "It is sad that we have to say this out loud."
Restricting transgender women's participation in sports was also a campaign promise of President-elect Trump. In an October rally at Madison Square Garden last year, he declared, "We will purge transgender madness from schools and remove men from women's sports," warning, "Any school that spreads inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content to our children will have its federal funding cut on day one of my administration."
In the U.S., the participation of transgender women in women's sports is one of the battlegrounds in the cultural war between conservatives and progressives. Conservative groups and politicians opposing transgender rights argue that transgender women should be banned from competing in the same events to protect biological women. On the other hand, the Democratic Party, which has emphasized LGBTQ+ rights, opposes the bill, arguing that it does not protect women but instead forces transgender individuals to undergo physical examinations or invade their privacy to prove their gender identity.
WP predicts that if the bill passes the Senate, President-elect Trump, who will be inaugurated next week, will sign it immediately. The Senate is also controlled by the Republicans with 53 out of 100 seats, allowing the bill to be brought to a vote. However, since the Democrats hold enough seats to filibuster (requiring 60 votes to overcome), passing the bill is uncertain.
Meanwhile, data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in October last year indicated that about 3% of American high school students identify as transgender. Additionally, it is known that 25 states in the U.S. currently enforce laws restricting transgender student athletes' participation in competitions.
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