On April 20th, I voted to pass H.R. 734, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023, legislation to ensure that women and girls have a fair playing field in sports by guaranteeing that schools adhere to Title IX’s recognition of biology and genetics of an individual at birth.
Title IX was enacted as part of the Education Amendments of 1972 to prohibit sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receives funding from the federal government.
This means that when it came to sports, schools were now required to provide equal participation opportunities, athletic scholarships, and benefits and services (facilities, equipment, transportation) for men and women.
Over the past few years, the left has pushed the notion that biological men that have begun transitioning to women are the same as biological women and so they cannot be excluded from participating in women’s sports. We must be inclusive of all, they say, no matter what.
But this trend only does a disservice to women and House Republicans have sought to protect their rights with H.R. 734. To me, this bill is not controversial. In fact, I am an original cosponsored of the bill.
This bill is about fairness. Women fought for years for equal opportunities in sports. Before Title IX, women’s athletic scholarships were basically nonexistent. Now those scholarships and other opportunities are at risk again because they are being given to biological men in the name of inclusiveness.
But why should women have to sacrifice what they deserve?
This bill is also about safety and accepting the reality of biology and genetics. There is a reason there are separate men’s sports and women’s sports. The biological differences between men and women cannot be ignored.
Genetically, men have a clear advantage. For example, they have a higher ratio of muscle mass to body weight, which allows for greater acceleration and speed. They also have larger and longer bones to support more muscle. This is true in most cases even if they have begun transitioning to a woman.
Women athletes have already gotten hurt competing against biological males. Just a few days prior to this column, a North Carolina high school volleyball player spoke at a press conference about suffering long-term physical and mental injuries when she was spiked by a ball in the face by a transgender athlete.
This bill does not even address the other issue of women in some places now being required to share their locker rooms with biological males.
Where does it end?
H.R. 734 is important legislation to protect woman and girls. Will the Senate agree? I don’t know. Ask your Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner.
– Congressman H. Morgan Griffith
