Lankford Introduces Legislation to Preserve Title IX, Protect Women’s Sports

WASHINGTON, DC - Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) reintroduced the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act to preserve Title IX protections for female athletes.

"Common sense should tell us that women and girls shouldn't be forced to compete in sports or share a school locker room with biological males," said Lankford. "Although the Biden Administration fought to erase biological differences, I want to uphold equal opportunity for the next generation of female athletes."

"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 While I'm glad that the Biden administration ultimately rescinded the proposed rule, Congress has to ensure this never happens again.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."

Senators Jim Banks (R-IN), John Barasso (R-WY), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Steve Daines (R-MT), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Ron Johnson (R-WI), John Kennedy (R-LA), Mike Lee (R-UT), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Rand Paul (R-KY), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Jim Risch (R-ID), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Rick Scott (R-FL), Tim Scott (R-SC), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) cosponsored the legislation.

The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act:

• Ensures Title IX provisions treat gender as "recognized based solely on a person's reproductive biology and genetics at birth."
• Bans recipients of federal funding from operating, sponsoring, or facilitating athletic programs that permit a male to participate in a women's sporting event.

For the past four years, the Biden Administration has taken a sledgehammer to Title IX through rulemaking at the Department of Education (ED). This legislation would reverse the harmful ED rule that forces schools to allow males to share private spaces with females and compete in women's sports-or risk losing their funding. The legislation is endorsed by Independent Women's Voice, Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee, Heritage Action for America, and Family Policy Alliance.

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