Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025

Bill: 119-hr-28
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Steube, W. Gregory [R-FL-17]
Introduced: 2025-01-03
Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Subjects: Athletes

Education programs funding

School athletics

Sex, gender, sexual orientation discrimination
Latest action: action_date: 2025-01-15
text: Received in the Senate.

Summaries:
action_date: 2025-01-03
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025</strong></p><p>This bill generally prohibits school athletic programs from allowing individuals whose biological sex at birth was male to participate in programs that are for women or girls.</p><p>Specifically, the bill provides that it is a violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 for federally funded education programs or activities to operate, sponsor, or facilitate athletic programs or activities that allow individuals of the male sex to participate in programs or activities that are designated for women or girls. (Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded education programs or activities, including in public elementary and secondary schools and in colleges and universities.) Under the bill,<em> sex</em> is based on an individual's reproductive biology and genetics at birth.</p><p>The bill does not prohibit male individuals from training or practicing with programs or activities for women or girls as long as such training or practice does not deprive any female of corresponding opportunities or benefits.</p><p>The Government Accountability Office must report on the benefits for women or girls in single-sex sports that would be lost as a result of male participation. In particular, the report must document the negative psychological, developmental, participatory, and sociological effects of male participation on girls.</p>

tv_txt: I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 28 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AN ACT To amend the Education Amendments of 1972 to provide that for purposes of determining compliance with title IX of such Act in athletics, sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025 . 2. Amendment Section 901 of the Education Amendments of 1972 ( 20 U.S.C. 1681 ) is amended by adding at the end the following: (d) (1) It shall be a violation of subsection (a) for a recipient of Federal financial assistance who operates, sponsors, or facilitates athletic programs or activities to permit a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls. (2) For the purposes of this subsection, sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth. (3) For the purposes of this subsection, the term athletic programs and activities includes, but is not limited to, all programs or activities that are provided conditional upon participation with any athletic team. (4) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to prohibit a recipient from permitting males to train or practice with an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls so long as no female is deprived of a roster spot on a team or sport, opportunity to participate in a practice or competition, scholarship, admission to an educational institution, or any other benefit that accompanies participating in the athletic program or activity. (e) The Comptroller General shall carry out a study to determine the meaning of the phrase ‘any other benefit’ as used in subsection (d)(4) by looking at benefits to women or girls of participating in single sex sports that would be lost by allowing males to participate. The study shall document the adverse psychological, developmental, participatory, and sociological results to girls of allowing males to compete, be members of a sports team, or participants in athletic programs, that are designed for girls, including displacement or discouragement from sports participation, deprivation of a roster spot on a team or sport, loss of the opportunity to participate in a practice or competition, loss of a scholarship or scholarship opportunities, loss or displacement of admission to an educational institution, deprivation of the benefit of an environment free of hostility based on sexual assault or harassment, or any other benefit that accompanies participating in the athletics program or activity. Further, the Comptroller General shall submit to the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report that contains the results of such study. .

Passed the House of Representatives January 14, 2025. Kevin F. McCumber, Clerk.

tv_txt: I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 28 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 3, 2025 Mr. Steube (for himself, Mr. Walberg , Mr. Estes , Mrs. Houchin , Mr. Finstad , Mr. Higgins of Louisiana , Mr. Fulcher , Ms. Mace , Mr. Ogles , Ms. Hageman , Mr. Bilirakis , Mr. Crenshaw , Mr. Gooden , Mr. Meuser , Mr. Johnson of South Dakota , Mr. Brecheen , Mr. Stauber , Mr. Owens , Mr. Ciscomani , Ms. Foxx , Mr. Ezell , Mr. Weber of Texas , Mrs. Cammack , Mr. Self , Mr. Biggs of Arizona , Mr. Babin , Mr. Nehls , Mr. Fleischmann , Mr. Kustoff , Mr. Bost , Mr. Fitzgerald , Mr. McCormick , Mr. Aderholt , Mr. Guest , Mr. Feenstra , Mr. Webster of Florida , Mr. Davidson , Mr. Ellzey , Mr. Austin Scott of Georgia , Mr. Bean of Florida , Mr. Green of Tennessee , Mr. Zinke , Mr. Arrington , Mr. Smith of New Jersey , Mr. Comer , Mr. Hudson , Mrs. Miller of Illinois , Mrs. Miller of West Virginia , Mr. Huizenga , Mr. Moore of West Virginia , Mrs. Biggs of South Carolina , Mr. Crank , Mr. Buchanan , Mr. Scott Franklin of Florida , Ms. De La Cruz , Mr. Smith of Missouri , and Mr. Burlison ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce A BILL To amend the Education Amendments of 1972 to provide that for purposes of determining compliance with title IX of such Act in athletics, sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025 . 2. Amendment Section 901 of the Education Amendments of 1972 ( 20 U.S.C. 1681 ) is amended by adding at the end the following: (d) (1) It shall be a violation of subsection (a) for a recipient of Federal financial assistance who operates, sponsors, or facilitates an athletic program or activity to permit a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls. (2) For the purposes of this subsection, sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth. (3) For the purposes of this subsection, the term athletic programs and activities includes, but is not limited to, all programs or activities that are provided conditional upon participation with any athletic team. (4) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to prohibit a recipient from permitting males to train or practice with an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls so long as no female is deprived of a roster spot on a team or sport, opportunity to participate in a practice or competition, scholarship, admission to an educational institution, or any other benefit that accompanies participating in the athletic program or activity. (5) The Comptroller General shall carry out a study to determine the meaning of the phrase any other benefit as used in paragraph (4) by looking at benefits to women or girls of participating in single sex sports that would be lost by allowing males to participate. The study shall document the adverse psychological, developmental, participatory, and sociological results to girls of allowing males to compete, be members of a sports team, or participants in athletic programs, that are designed for girls, including displacement or discouragement from sports participation, deprivation of a roster spot on a team or sport, loss of the opportunity to participate in a practice or competition, loss of a scholarship or scholarship opportunities, loss or displacement of admission to an educational institution, deprivation of the benefit of an environment free of hostility based on sexual assault or harassment, or loss of any other benefit that accompanies participating in the athletics program or activity. Further, the Comptroller General shall submit to the Committee on Education and Workforce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report that contains the results of such study. .