Crapo, Risch, Tuberville Introduce Legislation to Preserve Title IX, Protect Women’s Sports

Washington, D.C.-- U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) introduced the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act 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.  This legislation would reverse the Biden Administration’s harmful rule that forces schools to allow males to share private spaces with females and compete in women’s sports--or risk losing their funding. 

"Our female athletes have invested immense time and effort to excel in sports, only to face unfair competition from biological males in women’s categories,” said Crapo.  “Title IX was established to ensure fairness and protect opportunities for women in sports.  I will continue to do all I can to counter attempts to undermine Title IX and the integrity of women’s sports.”

“Allowing biological males in women’s sports is unfair to the young women who compete tirelessly at every level,” said 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.”

“President Trump ran on the issue of saving women’s sports and won in a landslide,” said 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  While I’m glad that the Biden administration ultimately rescinded the proposed rule, Congress has to ensure this never happens again.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.”

Specifically, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act:

1. Ensures Title IX provisions treat gender as “recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.”

2. Bans recipients of federal funding from operating, sponsoring, or facilitating athletic programs that permit a male to participate in a women’s sporting event.

Joining Crapo, Risch and Tuberville as original cosponsors are U.S. Senators Jim Banks (R-Indiana), John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Katie Britt (R-Alabama), Ted Budd (R-North Carolina), Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia), Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota), Steve Daines (R-Montana), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Bill Hagerty (R-Tennessee), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi), Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), John Kennedy (R-Louisiana), James Lankford (R-Oklahoma), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Cindy Lummis (R-Wyoming), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), Pete Ricketts (R-Nebraska), Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri), Rick Scott (R-Florida), Tim Sheehy (R-Montana), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) and Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi).