OAN Staff James Meyers
8:03 AM – Tuesday, March 4, 2025
A bill to ban biological males from participating in school athletic competitions designated for female athletes failed to advance Monday night, with Democrats standing united on the vote.
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A test vote on the bill failed to gain the required 60 votes needed to advance in the chamber as senators stuck to their party lines in a 51-45 vote tally.
The bill sought to determine Title IX protections “based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.” The vote comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order in February cutting off federal funding for any state that did not comply with banning biological males playing in female sports. The order stated that an athlete’s “sex” is their gender assigned at birth.
However, Republicans in Congress still have the option of amending the 1972 Title IX law, which protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance.
“Around the country we have seen men — biological men who identify as women — take up spaces and medals in athletics meant for actual women,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, (R-S.D.), adding, “This is a matter of fairness and equality.”
Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) condemned Democrats for blocking the bill as well.
“This is far from over,” he wrote on X. “I’ll NEVER stop fighting to protect women and girls.”
Democrats claimed the bill as a distraction from more “pressing issues” and a federal overreach into school decisions.
“What Republicans are doing today is inventing a problem to stir up a culture war and divide people against each other,” Sen. Brian Schatz, (D-Hawaii), said in a floor speech.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin, (D-Wis.), said, “This is a decision for sports leagues to thoughtfully craft policy that actually takes seriously what is best for all players, not blanket mandates that will undoubtedly have unintended consequences for the safety of all students.”
After Trump’s executive order went into effect, the NCAA changed its participation policy for transgender athletes to be banned from competition in women’s sports.
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