WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) led 29 Republican colleagues in reintroducing the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, or S. 9, to preserve Title IX protections for female athletes. For the past four years, the Biden administration has taken a sledgehammer to Title IX through rulemaking at the Department of Education (ED). Sen. Tuberville’s legislation would reverse the harmful ED rule that forces schools to allow males to share private spaces with females and compete in women’s sports—or risk losing their funding. This is expected to be the hallmark Senate Republican legislation in the 119th Congress related to preserving women’s sports.
As a former coach and educator for 40 years, Sen. Tuberville has been a champion in the fight to protect women’s sports during his entire time in Congress. Last year, he forced a vote on an amendment that would protect female athletes by keeping men out of women’s sports—all 51 Democrats voted against it.
“President Trump ran on the issue of saving women’s sports and won in a landslide,” said Sen. Tuberville. “70% of Americans agree—men don’t belong in women’s sports or locker rooms. I have said many times that I think Title IX is one of the best things to come out of Washington. But in the last few years, it has been destroyed. While I’m glad that the Biden administration ultimately rescinded the proposed rule, Congress has to ensure this never happens again. I am welcoming my first granddaughter this spring and won’t stop fighting until her rights to fairly compete are protected. I hope every one of my colleagues will join me in standing up for our daughters, nieces, and granddaughters by voting for this critical bill.”
“For daughters like mine and generations to come, we’ve got to protect women and girls in sports,” said Sen. Britt. “I appreciate the leadership of Senator Tuberville in introducing this commonsense legislation. This is about fighting for girls and women to have the opportunity to compete safely and fairly.”
“Female athletes deserve a safe and level playing field. Biological males should not play on women’s sports teams. To let them do so is disturbing, unfair, and unsafe,” said Sen. Barrasso. “We cannot allow delusional ideologies to jeopardize the hard work of women athletes across the country.”
“At their best, sports teach our kids fundamental lessons about fairness and integrity in a safe environment—but there’s nothing fair, honest or safe about allowing men to compete in sports leagues designed solely for women,” said Sen. Cotton. “This bill will preserve the sports leagues and teams that allow women and girls to excel as athletes. And it will defend the commonsense principle that women’s sports are for women. It’s tragic but unsurprising that such a defense is necessary.”
“Women’s sports should remain just that – women’s sports,” said Sen. Capito. “Forcing girls and young women to compete against biological males robs them of their chance to succeed on an equal playing field, and flies in the face of the advancement and celebration of women’s athletics. As an athlete myself and the mother of a daughter who played a college sport, I am proud to once again join my colleagues in reintroducing this legislation that supports female athletes of all ages through fair and equal competition.”
“Common sense should tell us that women and girls shouldn’t be forced to compete in sports or share a school locker room with biological males,” said Sen. Lankford. “Although the Biden Administration fought to erase biological differences, I want to uphold equal opportunity for the next generation of female athletes.”
“The people of Montana—and millions of Americans across the country – voted to restore common sense in Washington D.C.,” said Sen. Sheehy. “That means a secure border, lower prices, safe streets, boys are boys, and girls are girls. I’m proud to join my colleagues in supporting this legislation to ensure we protect women’s sports and reject the far-left insanity surrounding this issue.”
“Men should never compete in women’s sports- it’s unsafe, unfair, and just plain wrong,” said Sen. Roger Marshall, M.D. “The dangerous transgender agenda has put activism over girls’ safety- forcing women to put themselves in danger in order to compete in the sports they love and undermining all of the opportunities and success of Title IX. I am proud to stand alongside my colleague and friend Coach Tuberville and fight to protect women’s and girls’ sports.”
“Allowing biological males in women’s sports is unfair to the young women who compete tirelessly at every level,” said Sen. Risch. “Our daughters and granddaughters are counting on us to protect their right to fair and safe competition. The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act rightfully keeps men out of women’s sports.”
“Over the past four years, we’ve seen a concerted and completely misguided effort to redefine gender in ways that disregard biological reality and threaten the significant strides women and girls have made since the passage of Title IX,” said Sen. Hyde-Smith. “Eroding their ability to compete fairly jeopardizes decades of progress and ultimately results in lost opportunities. It’s time to right this wrong, and I am proud to continue this fight with Senator Tuberville to protect women’s sports.”
“Men have no business disenfranchising or endangering young women. Letting biological men take the field against girls has cost them victories, scholarships and even their health,” said Sen. Kennedy. “This bill would make girls’ sports safe for girls again, and I’m going to do everything in my power to help it pass Congress quickly.”
“Biological males should never be competing in women’s sports, yet the far left wants to erase women’s rights with its out of touch woke priorities,” said Sen. Lummis. “Securing a fair playing field for biological women by preventing biological males should not be a partisan issue. I will continue to work with my colleagues to fight for female athletes, like the University of Wyoming women’s volleyball team, to compete in the sports they love.”
“It’s not complicated—boys are boys and girls are girls, and men do not belong in women’s sports,” said Sen. Daines. “Women deserve a fair playing field, safe spaces and the chance to excel, and I’ll continue to stand up against the Left’s radical gender ideology that erodes basic biological truths.”
“There are biological differences between men and women, and if we ignore those differences, we threaten future opportunities for female athletes and the entire notion of women’s sports,” said Sen. Budd. “That’s why Senator Tuberville’s bill is so important. It simply ensures that Title IX protections are clearly defined by a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth. Bottom line: Female athletes should compete against other female athletes. It’s that simple.”
“Every time a girl steps onto the mat, court, field, or track, she should know that she has every opportunity to compete and win,” said Sen. Ernst. “It is crucial we uphold the promise of Title IX and protect the integrity of women’s sports that inspire so many girls and fans around the world. Last year, women’s sports broke records, and I will continue to fight for our female athletes to have the opportunities they deserve and ensure they are not pushed off the podium.”
“The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act reflects our commitment to women’s rights in sports,” said Sen. Paul. “This bill ensures that women have equal opportunities to compete and maintains the integrity of women’s sports.”
“Women and girls deserve their opportunities to be protected,” said Sen. Wicker. “Biological males have a clear athletic advantage over females, and it is not fair to have them on the same playing field.”
Specifically, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act:
- Ensures Title IX provisions treat gender as “recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.”
- Bans recipients of federal funding from operating, sponsoring, or facilitating athletic programs that permit a male to participate in a women’s sporting event.
The legislation is endorsed by Independent Women’s Voice, Concerned Women for America, Heritage Action for America, and Family Policy Alliance.
Joining Senator Tuberville as original cosponsors are U.S. Senators Jim Banks (R-IN), John Barasso (R-WY), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Steve Daines (R-MT), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Ron Johnson (R-WI), John Kennedy (R-LA), James Lankford (R-OK), Mike Lee (R-UT), Cindy Lummis (R-WY), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Rand Paul (R-KY), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Jim Risch (R-ID), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Rick Scott (R-FL), Tim Scott (R-SC), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) in cosponsoring the legislation.
Read the full text of the legislation here.
BACKGROUND:
As a former educator, mentor, and coach for more than 40 years, Sen. Tuberville is concerned about the future of girls’ and women’s sports. Sen. Tuberville has been a vocal advocate of preserving Title IX and urged Ed officials to keep the protections in place.
In June 2022, on the 50th anniversary of Title IX’s enactment, the Education Department issued a proposed rule to allow biological males to compete in women’s sports. Sen. Tuberville urged Joe Biden’s Education Department officials to keep the protections in place and cited his concern about the negative implications it would have for female athletes.
Despite receiving nearly 240,000 comments in opposition to the proposed rule, the Education Department ignored every single one and published the final Title IX rule in April 2024. Sen. Tuberville issued a scathing statement in response to the final rule and pledged to oppose it.
On December 20, 2024, after Vice President Kamala Harris lost in a landslide election to President Trump in November, President Biden quietly rescinded the proposed rule. However, Sen. Tuberville believes it is critical that Congress pass legislation to ensure no future President can attempt to destroy Title IX again.
MORE:
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Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and HELP Committees.
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