“We can’t look Americans in the eye and honestly say we support female athletes if we stand by as they are forced into uncomfortable settings they do not deserve.”
WASHINGTON — In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) defended female athletes and vowed to fight for the future of athletic competition for young women in sports. In the speech, Senator Tuberville explained the many benefits and opportunities provided by women’s athletics, all driven by the level playing field created by Title IX more than 50 years ago. The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which Senator Tuberville reintroduced last week,reaffirmsTitle IX protections for female athletes and ensures fair, safe competition in women’s sports across the country. The Biden administration is expected to finalize rules in May that will force institutions to allow biological males to share spaces with females and compete in women’s sports.
Excerpts from Senator Tuberville’s speech can be found below, and his full remarks can be viewed here.
“Signed into law in 1972, Title IX’s 37 words empowered women to win by leveling the playing field and providing them access to the same opportunities as young men.”
“Forcing females to compete against males destroys the playing field — the level playing field — created by law. It would exclude young women from the safety and fairness that they deserve. Title IX’s success would be undone if this continues to happen. And, that success that Title IX is and has [is] undeniable. Since its enactment, participation in female sports has increased by more than 600 percent.”
“Title IX has afforded many women the opportunity to receive athletic scholarships and become our engineers, our doctors, our lawyers, our leaders — without the burden of college debt. Sadly, Title IX is being [attacked] by activists who care more about politics than what’s best for women and girls.”
“The U.S. Department of Education is caving, is giving in to, progressive activists and moving ahead with plans to force schools to allow biological males to share locker rooms and compete in women’s sports. This irrational and unprecedented move comes despite record numbers of educators, parents, and athletes who have voiced their concerns about the disastrous impact that this would have for female athletes of all ages. The Department of Education, President Biden, and my colleagues on the left in Congress have ignored those concerns because they care more about appeasing activists and the progressive left than actually protecting young women. I just can’t understand this. It’s shameful.”
“Beginning next year, coaches will be forced to decide between opening up their locker rooms to biological males or facing dire consequences. Allowing biological males to compete against young women is unfair, it’s unsafe, and it’s wrong. We can’t look Americans in the eye and honestly say we support female athletes if we stand by as they are forced into uncomfortable settings they do not deserve. And we can’t tell young women we want them to succeed if we allow the radical left to push them to the sidelines of their sports and take away their future opportunities for scholarships and fair competition. It is not the American way.”
“Congress must act to save Title IX and make sure competition is safe and fair for everyone, including girls and women. This is why last week I reintroduced the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. The legislation would require institutions to recognize an athlete’s gender solely based on what it is at birth, or else be banned from receiving federal funding. You know, it sounds absurd — even to me — to say, but sadly, this legislation is now necessary to preserve Title IX for current and future female athletes. It’s really sad. And I’m thankful for those colleagues here in the Senate who have joined me in standing up for women’s sports, and I hope that others will join our efforts in the future.”
BACKGROUND
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 to the proposed rule, citing his concern about the negative implications it would cause for female athletes. The department proceeded forward with its decision to finalize the rule, which is now expected to be published in May of this year. It is expected that the rule will take effect during the 2023-2024 school year.
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.
The legislation is endorsed by Independent Women’s Voice, Concerned Women for America, and Heritage Action for America.
As a former educator, mentor, and coach for more than 40 years, Senator Tuberville is concerned about the future of girls’ and 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 ED officials to keep the protections in place. More information about the Senator’s efforts regarding Title IX can be found below.
- NATIONAL REVIEW: Female Athletes Are Losing to the Radical Left
- WASHINGTON EXAMINER: Tuberville bill would defund women’s sports programs that allow biological men
- FOX & FRIENDS: Senator Tuberville joins Fox and Friends to discuss the 50th Anniversary of Inflation and Title IX
- FOX & FRIENDS: Tuberville Calls for Fairness in Women’s Sports
- DAILY WIRE: Ahead of 50th Anniversary of Title IX, Senator Tuberville Warns Biden Admin is Hacking Away at Women’s Progress
- DAILY WIRE: Senator Tuberville: Biden Title IX Modifications Will Destroy ‘Opportunities For Generations Of Women And Girls’
- WASHINGTON EXAMINER: Biden executive order will ruin women’s sports and erode Title IX
- DAILY CALLER: Dr. Ben Carson, Sen. Tuberville Break Down Why They Think Trans Athletes Shouldn’t Compete In Women’s Sports
- AL.COM: U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville says Biden administration pushing women to the sidelines
- WATCH: Tuberville on Biden Administration’s Upcoming Title IX Proposed Rule: ‘It would take a wrecking ball to the five decades of Title IX success and tilt what was a level playing field to the far left’
- WATCH: Tuberville Presses Under Secretary of Education Nominee on Title IX, Free Speech on Campus
- WATCH: Tuberville: The Real March Madness
- Tuberville Warns Secretary Cardona Against Weakening Title IX Protections
- Tuberville Emphasizes Importance of Title IX Protections
- Tuberville Offers Amendment Protecting Women’s Title IX Rights
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and HELP Committees.
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