House passes trans athlete ban; bill not expected to advance

WASHINGTON — The Republican-led House passed a bill Thursday that would bar federally supported schools and colleges from allowing transgender athletes whose biological sex assigned at birth was male to compete on girls' or women's sports teams.

The legislation, approved by a 219-203 vote, is unlikely to advance further because the Democratic-led Senate will not support it and the White House said President Joe Biden would veto it.

Supporters said the legislation, which would put violators at risk of losing taxpayer dollars, is necessary to ensure competitive fairness. They framed the vote as supporting female athletes disadvantaged by having to compete against those whose gender identity does not match their sex assigned at birth. Opponents criticized the bill as ostracizing an already vulnerable group for political gain.

The House action comes as at least 20 states have imposed similar limits on transgender athletes at the K-12 or collegiate level.

The bill would amend the landmark civil rights legislation Title IX, which passed more than 50 years ago. The amendment would prohibit recipients of federal money from permitting a person «whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls.» The bill defines sex as «based solely on a person's reproductive biology and genetics at birth.»

The sponsor, Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., highlighted the case of Emma Weyant, a resident of his district and a 2020 member of the U.S. Olympic swimming team who finished second in the NCAA women's 500-yard freestyle championship last year. She was defeated by Lia Thomas, who had competed for three years on the Penn men's swimming team before joining the women's team.

«The integrity of