The House of Representatives led by Republicans has approved a bill that will ban trans athletes from competing in women’s and girls’ sports in schools and colleges.
Since it a project of law, the legislation is still in voting process, and some of the members will not support the project according to the White House, adding that Joe Biden would veto it.
The action of the House of Representatives has reproduced in at least 20 states, where similar limits have been imposed to trans athletes in colleges.
The amendment would prohibit recipients of federal funds from allowing a person “whose sex is male” to participate in an athletic program or activity designated to women or girls, defining sex “based only on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth”.
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According to the Movement Advancement Project, 21 states have enacted laws to ban trans athletes from participating in sports aligned with their gender identity, and around 300,000 children in the US identify as transgender.
The participation of trans athletes in NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) sports has been a hot topic to debate in recent years, and in 2022 the association updated its policy for transgender participation to match the policy determined by sport’s national governing body or the International Sports Federation.
Conservatives who support the legislation, known as “Protecting Women and Girls in Sports Act”, says it is necessary to ensure competitive fairness, adding it seeks to help disadvantages female athletes, and instead opponents of project criticized it for excluding a vulnerable group.
