Merrimack Valley News

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) voted against House Republicans’ legislation to implement a trans and intersex sports ban. H.R. 734 amends existing law to make it a violation of Title IX for recipients of federal aid to allow transgender girls or women to participate in girls’ and women’s athletic programs. The legislation would effectively ban all trans girls, trans women, non-binary individuals and intersex individuals from participating on sports teams. In order to enforce this ban, H.R. 734 could subject young girls to invasive medical screenings and personal questions about their menstrual cycle and physical development.

“As a former D1 athlete and a mom who spends every weekend cheering on my two young girls from the bleachers, I know first hand the barriers and challenges that girls in sports face. In Congress, I’ve worked tirelessly to strengthen Title IX to make sure girls have every opportunity they deserve to excel on and off the court,” said Congresswoman Trahan. “What Republicans forced a vote on today would do nothing to strengthen girls’ and women’s sports. Instead, it’s the latest in a slew of attacks against LGBTQI+ kids. This legislation effectively bans all trans girls from participating on school sports teams and could force invasive medical exams on our daughters to ‘prove’ that they are in fact girls. It’s shameful for Republicans to put forward this ban under the guise that it will protect women and girls. Let me be absolutely clear – this is a transphobic attack that does nothing to help our daughters.”

The legislation passed along party lines today is opposed by Team USA Athletes’ Commission, Olympic & Paralympic Athletes, the Women’s Sports Foundation & National Women’s Law Center, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the Human Rights Campaign, the Trevor Project, GLSEN, PFLAG, the National Queer API Alliance, the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychiatric Association & American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the National Association of School Psychologists, the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and the National Parents Union.

Congresswoman Trahan has been a staunch advocate for updates to Title IX to support women and girls in sports, including crafting and introducing her Fair Play for Women Act, which would in effect, make the NCAA subject to Title IX for the first time. She has also called for stronger Title IX enforcement by the Department of Education after a damning report found that enforcement of the federal gender-equity law is essentially toothless.

Original source can be found here.