WASHINGTON— U.S. Representative Greg Steube (FL-17) and Republican Study Committee Chairman Jim Banks filed a discharge petition on Tuesday for Rep. Steube’s bill, H.R.426, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2021. Rep. Steube’s legislation ensures that women and girls are allowed a fair playing field in competitive sports by ensuring that school athletics comply with the Title IX recognition of a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth. The full text of the bill can be found here.
The RSC, the largest group of conservative lawmakers in Washington, took an official position in support of the discharge petition. Heritage Action for America is including co-sponsorship of H.R. 426 as a component in its scorecard and Concerned Women for America LAC is including support for the discharge petition as a component in its scorecard.
Congressman Greg Steube said: “Allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports is anti-science and an affront to female athletes around the country. We have seen this practice prevent talented athletes from achieving their goals; stripping them of records, rosters, and scholarships. By refusing to allow a vote on protecting women’s sports, Speaker Pelosi is enabling Congress to evade this critical and timely issue facing students across the country. Tonight, Republicans filed a discharge petition to force my bill, The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act onto the House floor. Instead of paying lip service to women, I hope my colleagues across the aisle will actually do something for women and girls by signing onto this petition. As the left perpetuates a craze to eliminate gender, the American people deserve to know where their elected representatives stand on protecting women’s sports.”
RSC Chairman Jim Banks said: “Congress passed Title IX 50 years ago, but the left is now scheming to effectively destroy that important civil rights protection. House Republicans must respond by strengthening protections for female athletes and by forcing Democrats to publicly state whether they support women’s right to compete on a level playing field. I’d like to thank Greg Steube, as well as Heritage Action, my fellow RSC members and the numerous groups supporting his important bill.”
The discharge petition is supported by Advancing American Freedom, American Principles Project, CatholicVote, Center for Urban Renewal and Education (CURE), Concerned Women for America LAC, Eagle Forum, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, Family PAC Federal, Family Policy Alliance, Family Research Council, ForAmerica, Heritage Action for America, Independent Women’s Forum, Women’s Declaration International USA, and Women’s Liberation Front.
What They’re Saying:
Said Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Women for America LAC: “After 50 years of progress for women and girls, Congress must step in and save Title IX from doom. What’s happening in women’s sports today under the NCAA and Biden Administration defies science and common sense and is an affront to every female athlete in America. This radical agenda to obliterate the enduring differences between the sexes is draconian and erases women’s inherent dignity and status under the law. No school should be able to force female athletes to compete against biological males identifying as girls or displace female athletes from sports designated for women and girls. This issue is nonpartisan. Our daughters deserve better. We thank the RSC for its plan to file a discharge petition and urge the House to act swiftly to pass the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act.”
Said Jessica Anderson, Executive Director of Heritage Action: ““Allowing men to compete in women’s sports is dangerous, unfair, and highly illogical. Women should have the right to compete on a level playing field and shouldn’t have to sacrifice their athletic careers at the alter of transgender rights. While the current Administration has irresponsibly denied women this right, we applaud Congressman Steube for introducing legislation to rectify this situation and we encourage members to take action by cosponsoring the bill and signing the discharge petition.”
Said Family Policy Alliance: “The future of America’s women and girls is on the line. If members of Congress truly support fair opportunities for women, they will not hesitate to sign the discharge petition for H.R. 426. While the Biden Administration is aggressively attempting to sideline our girls, America is fighting back. 15 states have passed Save Girls Sports bills, and this discharge petition is an important step to a future national victory. We applaud Chairman Banks and the Republican Study Committee for initiating a full-court press to ensure fair play for women and girls across the nation.”
Said Eagle Forum: “Increasingly, the opportunities of our daughters have been compromised by the allowance of biological males onto women’s sports teams. Eagle Forum is grateful for Representative Steube’s leadership in protecting women’s and girl’s sports through The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. This legislation ensures that the intention of Title IX remains and is not given over to SOGI ideology. No girl should have to give her spot up for some man’s whim. We urge every member to sign the discharge petition and get this bill passed!”
Said Women’s Liberation Front: “Women’s Liberation Front (WoLF) applauds the decision of the Republican Study Committee to endorse HR 426. WoLF is a non-partisan agency that represents women of every political affiliation; we believe that women and girls deserve to play in athletic competitions that are fair and safe. We are gravely concerned about the erosion of women’s rights in the United States, including the loss of women’s and girls’ sports. Over the past few years, we have been witness to the gaslighting of our entire nation. Female athletes, along with their coaches, parents, and fans, have been coerced into participating in a mass delusion: the delusion that males can transform into females. Journalists and news agencies have encouraged and supported this gaslighting by using misleading and inaccurate language about male interference in women’s sports. The Biden administration has profoundly endangered women’s rights under Title IX by including “gender identity” in its definition of sex. “Gender identity” is nothing more than a personal belief system; this personal belief system is being actively promoted by our nation’s president, to the detriment of women and girls everywhere. HR 426 demonstrates policymakers’ commitment to the protection of women’s sports. No woman or girl should be forced to compete against a male, regardless of how that male “identifies.” The protection of women’s sports is a non-partisan issue; it affects women and girls throughout our country, in every state and in every neighborhood. We appreciate the leadership that the Republican Study Committee has demonstrated by endorsing HR 426.”
Said Terry Schilling, President of American Principles Project: “Nearly half a century after the passage of Title IX, women’s rights are once again under assault — particularly when it comes to sports. Woke policies across the country are allowing biological males to compete against women and girls, making a mockery of what was once a fair playing field. Although we are encouraged that 15 states and counting have passed laws to protect female athletes, Congress must take this to the finish line. APP applauds the Republican Study Committee’s effort to force a House vote on the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. We’re grateful for the RSC’s leadership in making this a GOP priority, and we join with families nationwide in urging members to sign on to this petition. Make no mistake: defending women’s sports is fast becoming a litmus test issue for Republicans, and voters will be paying attention to where their representatives stand.”
Said Carrie Lukas, President of Independent Women’s Forum: “It’s time for our leaders to make public their position on women’s sports. Americans want to know: should female athletes be relegated to the sidelines? Yes or no”
Said Kara Dansky, President of Women’s Declaration International USA: “Women’s Declaration International USA, a nonpartisan feminist organization, is happy to support this discharge petition. Women and girls deserve to have our own spaces and sports.”