A potential house-of-representatives vote on a Republican-led bill on protecting women and girls in sports is a sign of hope for women’s groups who fear the future of women’s sportsa> is being threatened.< called the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2021.
The discharge petition, if it reaches 218 signatures, would force a House votea> on the bill that would make it a federal crime under Title IX for any recipient of federal funds who operates, sponsors, or facilitates athletic programs or activities “to permit a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls.”<
“Recent events show that [this bill] is important, because when men are allowed to compete in women’s sports, women are sidelined,” she said. “As we approach the 50th anniversary of Title nine, it’s important to resist calls for inclusion that result in the exclusion of any female athletes from competitive sports.”
Pennsylvania’s Lia Thomas prepares to swim the women’s 500-yard freestyle final at the NCAA swimming and diving championships
(AP Photo/John Bazemore)
Women’s advocacy groups have been sounding the alarm on the future of women’s sports amid the rise of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas of the University of Pennsylvania, who has been breaking records on the women’s team after previously competing as a man.
