Both of New Hampshire’s U.S. Representatives voted against the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act Thursday, which passed the House in a party-line 219-203 vote.
The bill would allow women to compete in sports without being forced to face off against biological males.
“For purposes of determining compliance with Title IX . . . in athletics, sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth,” the bill reads. Senate Democrats are expected to prevent it from coming to the floor for a vote.
“We have come too far as women to allow biological men to compete against us in sports and for college scholarships,” said Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) via Twitter. “It is total bull****!”
Polls show a majority of voters oppose forcing girls in high school sports to compete with male athletes who identify as women or transgender. For example, a 2022 Washington Post poll finds that 55 percent of respondents supported the GOP policy for high school, and 58 percent supported a ban on male athletes in women’s sports in college.
As of April 1, World Athletics, the governing body for international competitions like track and field, bans no transgender athletes who have gone through male puberty to participate in female competitions. Since entering female-only races, Italian trans-identifying male Valentina Petrillo has won eight international women’s titles in track competitions. Petrillo dropped out of an upcoming event when the new rule was announced.
And at least 21 states have adopted laws barring biological males from participating in high school and college women’s athletic competitions.
“As a former distance runner, I sacrificed and trained hard to compete in some of the most prestigious road races across the country,” said New Hampshire Executive Councilor Janet Stevens. “The idea of having worked so hard only to lose to a biological male is both unfair and unacceptable. It’s shameful that Chris Pappas and Ann Kuster are playing political games with women’s sports. It is common sense: Only women should be competing in women’s sports.”
Kuster and Pappas declined to answer questions about their votes against women-only athletics.
However, Kuster did post a statement on Twitter declaring her opposition to the legislation. “Let kids be kids,” Kuster said. “Congress should be focused on tackling the biggest issues facing our country—not ostracizing young kids & inserting the federal government into youth T-ball & soccer teams.”
In fact, the Biden administration issued a federal order arbitrarily redefining the word “sex” in Title IX to include “stereotypes, sex characteristics, pregnancy or related conditions, sexual orientation, and gender identity.” The White House also forbade blanket bans on biological male athletes from competing in women’s sports.
Also via Twitter, Pappas called the bill “the latest in a series of bigoted, harmful attacks on the transgender community.”
Asked what they would say to female athletes who had lost competitions to males competing in women-only sporting events, both Kuster and Pappas declined to comment.
State Senate Majority Leader Sharon Carson (R-Londonderry) said she was glad the bill passed, but “it is disappointing to see New Hampshire’s representatives vote against protecting our young women athletes and their ability to compete fairly.
“Many driven young women in our state compete in athletics for scholarships and other academic opportunities. It’s regrettable that our Congressional Representatives believe young women should be deprived of that opportunity by being forced to compete against biological males. It’s not only crippling to their overall athletic career but to their own physical and mental health,” Carson said.
Even the left-leaning news outlet NPR was forced to issue a correction when it falsely reported that “there is limited scientific research” supporting the “physical advantage” males have over females in athletic competitions.
On Thursday, high school volleyball player Payton McNabb testified before the North Carolina legislature about “suffering severe head and neck injuries resulting in long-term concussion symptoms” after a male player who identifies as female spiked a ball in her face, a local TV station reported.
“Due to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association policy allowing biological males to compete against biological females, my life has forever been changed,” McNabb said.
“Allowing biological males to compete against biological females is dangerous. I may be the first to come before you with an injury, but if this doesn’t pass, I won’t be the last.”
