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Dear John,
The U.S. House of Representatives will soon vote on a shameful bill that attempts to ban transgender and intersex girls and women from participating in girls’ and womens’ school sports. We need to stop this latest attempt to discriminate against trans students. This bill will threaten all women and girls by subjecting millions of youth to harmful sex testing schemes that enforce a narrow definition of femininity.
H.R. 734 is misleadingly named “The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023,” but make no mistake—it will actively harm women and girls’ rights. Its sole purpose is to attack trans girls and women, denying them a full education by barring them from playing school sports and shutting them out from the benefits that school sports offer, like building community. Transphobic legislation like H.R. 734 turns critical civil rights protections on their head by promoting discrimination and bigotry. It does nothing to address actual gender inequities in school sports, like inadequate funding, facilities, and equipment for girls’ sports, or sexual abuse of students athletes.
We know what happens when we let everyone play. States where transgender athletes can participate in sports have seen increased participation by all girls. But in states that enacted trans-exclusionary policies, girls’ overall participation in high school sports declined.
If passed, H.R. 734 would make inclusion of trans girls’ and women’s in school athletics programs a Title IX violation. We cannot let Congress weaponize Title IX to require this kind of sex discrimination.
We’re not fooled. Excluding women and girls who are trans and/or intersex hurts all of us. Gender justice means creating a better future for all girls and women. Take action now.
Politicians have no business deciding who are the “right kind” of girls to participate in sports. And the same people promoting anti-trans laws like H.R 734 are the ones trying to record student athletes’ menstrual history like we recently highlighted with Florida–policing women’s bodies and punishing LGBTQI+ people for existing are two parts of the same toxic playbook!
Gender justice means protecting all girls and women. If H.R. 734 becomes law, it will make way for more sex-based discrimination and further weaken Title IX protections. Our legacy counts on creating a safer future for all girls and women.
Sincerely,
Shiwali Patel
she/her/hers
Director of Justice for Student Survivors & Senior Counsel
National Women's Law Center
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