U.S. Senator Tommy Tubervilleon Tuesday released a statement condemning the Biden administration’s new Title IX proposed rule that coerces schools to allow biological males to compete in women’s sports.
“For more than 50 years, Title IX has been a historic success for women and girls in this country,” said Sen. Tuberville. “As a coach, educator, and mentor, I’ve seen its success firsthand. The Biden administration’s policies have already taken a sledgehammer to Title IX, and this proposed rule is another example of Joe Biden doing the bidding of the radical left. This new rule is a disservice to every girl in this country who dreams of becoming a student-athlete. I urge the Biden administration to listen to parents, teachers, and coaches and not to follow through with these misguided policies. Our colleagues in Congress will have to consider every option available to nullify this harmful new rule, including passing my legislation, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act.”
The proposed rule would revise students’ Title IX discrimination protections in athletics to include gender identity. The Biden Administration would defund schools and overrule state policies aimed at supporting women in sports after they are implemented without providing clarity as to what kind of policy, if any, would comply. The Biden administration is simply changing the biological definition of gender without passing legislation through Congress.
In March, Senator Tuberville led more than half of the Senate Republican Conference in reintroducing the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. The legislation would preserve Title IX protections for female athletes and ensure fair, safe competition in women’s sports across the country.
Senator Tuberville is the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Children and Families. His condemnation echoes the rebuke from U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, the ranking member of the Senate HELP Committee.
“This is a fairness issue,” Sen. Cassidy said. “Female athletes who work extremely hard should not have their future in athletics hindered because they are forced to compete against biological males who have an unfair physical advantage. This action by the administration is completely against the spirit of Title IX to promote participation in sports for girls and women.”
Last year, on the 50th anniversary of Title IX’s enactment, the U.S. Department of Education issued a proposed rule to allow biological males to compete in women’s sports. Senator Tuberville offered a public comment on the proposed rule, citing his concern about the negative implications it would cause for female athletes. Despite opposition from members of Congress and widespread opposition from women athletes across the country, the department recently decided to finalize the rule. The rule is expected to take effect during the 2023-2024 school year.
Tuberville cited his experience as a former educator, mentor, and coach for more than 40 years in his concern about the future of women’s sports. He began his career coaching high school girls’ basketball shortly after the enactment of Title IX and witnessed the law’s positive impacts firsthand. Senator Tuberville has been a vocal advocate of preserving Title IX and urged federal officials to keep the protections in place.
The White House maintains that high school and college athletes should be allowed to compete as the gender they identify as rather than their biological gender, claiming that gender is more than genetics.
Tuberville was elected to the Senate in 2020.
