Tommy Tuberville on the trans athlete ban bill: "Women's rights are under threat"

A national ban on trans athletes in college sports is being advocated for by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala.

Tuberville plans to reintroduce the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act to Congress after the new House rules package passed last week, which would penalize schools financially if they allow trans athletes to compete against girls and women.

The urgency of the Republican advocate for the bill is due to certain decisions made by the Biden administration over the past four years.

"Tuberville stated in an interview on "Don't @ Me With Dan Dakich" that it's unfortunate what has transpired in the last four years, particularly with regards to gender and women. He emphasized that it has been a direct attack on all women."

"He stated that they do not like women and instead believe that everyone should be born as men and then identify as women."

The Biden administration and Democrats have implemented broad measures to support trans athletes in female sports.

Hours after President Biden took office on Jan. 20, 2021, he issued an executive order on "Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation."

The sentence can be rewritten as: "Ensuring that children can learn without worrying about being denied access to restrooms, locker rooms, or school sports should be a priority."

In April, Biden issued a clarifying rule under Title IX that expanded the ban on "sex" discrimination in schools to include discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation, and "pregnancy or related conditions." Despite the administration's insistence that the regulation did not address athletic eligibility, multiple experts presented evidence to Planet Chronicle Digital in June that it would ultimately result in more biological men competing in women's sports.

In August, the Supreme Court rejected an emergency request by the Biden administration to enforce its sweeping changes in states that had filed lawsuits and enacted their own laws to address the issue.

Democrats have introduced other federal legislation aimed at increasing transgender inclusion in women's sports. Among these proposals is the Equality Act, which was introduced in 2019 and has undergone revisions that would require public schools to allow biologically male athletes who identify as transgender on girls' sports teams.

In March 2023, Democrats pushed for a transgender bill of rights, urging a resolution that stated the responsibility of the Federal Government to establish and enforce a Transgender Bill of Rights. The resolution specifically demanded federal law to guarantee that biological men could participate in sports on teams and in programs that correspond to their gender identity, and use school facilities that align with their gender identity.

In 2024, several national scandals emerged due to laws related to trans-inclusion, which were also part of other Democratic laws at the state level. This issue became a powerful attack point for the Trump campaign and other Republicans, who regained control of the White House and both houses of Congress in November. Many Democrats withdrew their support for trans-inclusion in the face of intense backlash. Biden's Department of Education was forced to withdraw a proposed rule that would have banned states from enforcing trans-inclusion in December.

The Concerned Women for America legislative action committee's national exit poll revealed that 70% of moderate voters consider the issue of "Donald Trump's opposition to transgender boys and men playing girls and women's sports and of transgender boys and men using girls and women's bathrooms" important to them.

While 6% considered it the most critical issue, 44% deemed it "very important."

Their first step toward fulfilling their election-season stance on the issue will be the passage of Tuberville's bill.

Title IX would continue to view gender solely based on a person's reproductive biology and genetics at birth, rather than adjusting it to accommodate gender identity.

The bill would also prohibit federal funds from being used to support athletic programs that enable biological males to compete in women's and girls' sports.

The measure is backed by 23 Republican senators, including Sens. James Risch and Mike Crapo of Idaho, Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Thom Tillis and Ted Budd of North Carolina, Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., Cindy Hyde-Smith and Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Tom Cotton, R-Ark., James Lankford, R-Okla., Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy of Montana, Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Mike Lee, R-Utah, John Kennedy, R-La., John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Katie Britt, R-Ala., and Pete Ricketts, R-Neb.

The Senate Majority Leader, John Thune, has approved Tuberville's bill and a vote on the measure may occur by the end of the week.

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