On Friday, U.S. Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) reintroduced the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which, if passed, would prohibit males from participating in school athletic programs that are designated for women. Independent Women has worked closely with Rep. Steube on this legislation, which passed the House in April 2023 and is a day-one priority for the 119th Congress.
More than 50 years ago, Congress enacted Title IX to ensure equal opportunity in all aspects of education, including athletics. But without single-sex teams and single-sex competition, men will dominate women in competitive sports and erase the right to equal opportunity. Allowing males to participate in women’s sports is discriminatory and illegal, and it undermines years of progress.
Carrie Lukas, president of Independent Women’s Forum, said, “Thank you, Rep. Greg Steube and Speaker Mike Johnson, for ensuring that safety and fairness for women and girls will be a top priority by advancing the Protection for Women and Girls in Sports Act on day one of this new Congress. You are sending a message to all the female athletes and their loved ones that, at long last, help is on the way. The Biden-Harris administration consistently put women’s interests last. Women and girls were told to step aside and keep quiet while their opportunities were taken by men. This travesty ends in 2025.”
May Mailman, director of Independent Women’s Law Center, said, “We have gotten to the point where we need the literal Congress of the United States to protect women from having their faces bashed in from men playing women’s sports. But not only that, it’s controversial since the Democrats won’t agree to this end goal. This is clown hat-wearing stuff. I’m grateful for the Republicans prioritizing the necessary end of unsafe, unfair athletic opportunities for women.”
Payton McNabb, Independent Women’s Voice ambassador, said, “Just one man competing in women’s sports is one too many. The reintroduction of the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act is a critical step in protecting the basic rights of female athletes. When a man competes in women’s sports, it impacts countless women—taking away opportunities, safety, and fairness. This is a common-sense bill, and those voting on it should find it an easy decision to stand up for the integrity of women.”
Last month, IW Features, the independent journalism and grassroots storytelling platform of Independent Women, released a documentary titled “Kill Shot: How Payton McNabb Turned Tragedy Into Triumph,” highlighting the story of Payton McNabb, an Independent Women ambassador and former three-sport athlete.
Payton was severely and permanently injured by a spike to her head by a transgender-identifying male athlete playing on the opposing women’s team on September 1, 2022. The forceful blow to her head knocked Payton unconscious, causing her to suffer traumatic, permanent damage. Her story is a testament to the importance of legislation like the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act.
The sweeping victory of pro-women leaders across the 2024 election shows that Americans overwhelmingly care about preserving the integrity of women’s sports, and Independent Women has been leading the fight to expose discrimination on the basis of sex:
- Independent Women spokeswomen have testified before Congress on the impact of allowing biological males in women’s private spaces and the dangers of the Biden-Harris administration’s changes to Title IX; met with dozens of lawmakers to highlight the need for federal legislation that protects women’s sports; joined U.S. senators for a roundtable discussion on preserving Title IX; and joined Speaker of the House Mike Johnson for a panel discussion during National Women’s Sports Week.
- In February 2023, Independent Women applauded the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act after working closely with Rep. Steube on the policy measure.
- In April 2023, Independent Women amplified the voices of elite female athletes through an open letter to applaud the U.S. House passage of the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act.
- Riley Gaines, an Independent Women ambassador, has worked closely with legislators in support of the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. See her letter to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in April 2023 here.
- Independent Women’s Voice and Independent Women’s Law Center voiced support for Senator Tuberville in his efforts to protect women’s sports in April 2023.
- On September 18, 2024, Independent Women introduced the Riley Gaines Stand With Women Scorecard, a first-of-its-kind resource for voters, which scores every Congressional member on whether they “stand with women,” meaning that they intend to support legislation that preserves female opportunities and private spaces.
- With IW ambassadors sharing their stories and breaking into the media—and IW Features, the storytelling arm of IW, providing a platform for more voices to be heard—anti-women policies are being exposed as support for pro-women, pro-fairness, and pro-safety policy grows.
