A handful of GOP Senators, led by Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, introduced legislation on Tuesday that would further protect women under Title IX. Sen. Loeffler’s ‘Protection of Women and Girls in Sports’ Act makes a biological male’s participation in athletic programs that are designated for women and girls a violation of Title IX. The legislation would penalize schools receiving federal funding that permit such participation from biological males, and threatens to pull the federal dollars all together.
Loeffler’s legislation targets Title IX’s recognition of biological sex within women and girls’ athletic programs, and aims to ensure that sex is accepted based on a person’s reproductive biology at birth. It follows a nationally-watched case in Connecticut that resulted in two separate biological males winning multiple championship titles, that were previously held by women, in women’s track contests. The male participants inhibited the women from advancing further in competition.
One of Title IX’s most fundamental purposes is to protect women from discrimination based on sex, and to ensure fairness, as Sen. Loeffler notes:
“Title IX established a fair and equal chance for women and girls to compete, and sports should be no exception,” Senator Loeffler said. “As someone who learned invaluable life lessons and built confidence playing sports throughout my life, I’m proud to lead this legislation to ensure girls of all ages can enjoy those same opportunities. This commonsense bill protects women and girls by safeguarding fairness and leveling the athletic field that Title IX guarantees.”
The legislation is supported by a host of organizations, and is co-sponsored by GOP Sens. Marsha Blackburn (TN), Tom Cotton (AR), James Lankford (OK) and Mike Lee (UT).