President Joe Biden says he will veto proposed legislation that would prevent biological males from competing in women’s sports, saying it discriminates against transgender individuals.
Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) has sponsored H.R. 734, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023, which is expected to come up for a floor vote soon.
In a formal statement released by the White House, the Biden administration firmly opposed the proposed legislation.
“H.R. 734 would deny access to sports for many families by establishing an absolute ban on transgender students—even those as young as elementary schoolers—playing on a team consistent with their gender identity,” the White House statement reads.
In a statement posted to Twitter, Steube defended his proposed legislation, saying the “White House has turned their backs on female athletes.”
He continued: “The Left is not only encouraging transgender individuals to invade women’s sports, but they celebrate as women are knocked off podiums and shunned to the sidelines. Nothing fair about that.”
This White House has turned their backs on female athletes.
The Left is not only encouraging transgender individuals to invade women’s sports, but they celebrate as women are knocked off podiums and shunned to the sidelines.
Nothing fair about that.https://t.co/NVRmaUECxZ
— Congressman Greg Steube (@RepGregSteube) April 17, 2023
The full text of H.R. 734, which has 93 co-sponsors and currently comprises only three sentences, does not ban transgender students from sports, but would simply require sports participation consistent with an individual’s sex, “based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth,” the bill notes.
“Schools, coaches, and athletic associations around the country are already working with families to develop participation rules that are fair and that take into account particular sports, grade levels, and levels of competition,” the White House statement continued. “As a national ban that does not account for competitiveness or grade level, H.R. 734 targets people for who they are and therefore is discriminatory. “
The Biden administration accused politicians supporting the bill of dictating a “one-size-fits-all requirement that forces coaches to remove kids from their teams,” without mentioning that kids would be able to compete on teams comprised of individuals who share their biological sex.
“Instead of addressing the pressing issues that families and students face today—such as raising teacher pay, keeping guns out of schools, addressing the mental health crisis our youth face, and helping students learn and recover academically from unprecedented disruptions—Congressional Republicans have instead chosen to prioritize policies that discriminate against children,” the White House said before vowing that Biden would issue a veto should the legislation be passed by both chambers of Congress.
