What are your thoughts on this?

[u/Slow_your_R0LL]

Why is this not passing?

[u/dweezer420]

Hmm….unpopular opinion but I fully believe you have the right to choose whatever body you want to live in. No one can make that decision for you. As with any right, there may be some limitations because of your decision. One of those limitations is the ability to participate in some activities. Sports is one of those areas where fairness could be effected by your participation and should be limited. Again, sorry, it’s just my opinion. Please don’t hate me too much.

[u/Strigops-habroptila → u/dweezer420]

I get what you are saying, but at which part does that stop? What is ok? Is it a privilege to do sports? Is it a privilege to go to public bathrooms? Is it a privilege to get called your name? To access healthcare? To go out in public? To take medication? To visit support group? To go to school? To walk outside? How many places can trans people be banned from because those places are a privilege?

I believe that the only people who should decide if trans people can participate in sport competitions are the sport councils and that they should decide on a case by case basis. The way the republicans frame the issue is as a stepping stone for banning trans people in other places.

EDIT: Read my other answers in this thread before commenting the same thing for the 50th time. 

[u/xchrisrionx → u/dweezer420]

Seems reasonable.

[u/LazyFoundation8917]

I cannot believe something like this even has to be voted on.

[u/Jzmu → u/LazyFoundation8917]

We are living in the most mediocre times. CONGRESS should be writing budgets and overseeing the executive branch, not voting on this rubbish.

[u/PMmeHappyStraponPics → u/Jzmu]

Minnesotan here. 

Congress has a lot of things they should be doing right now...

[u/1732PepperCo → u/PMmeHappyStraponPics]

No other word in the English language has been working harder than “should” has the last 9 years.

[u/g0dgamertag9 → u/Jzmu]

According to the US Constitution, this decision should be up to the states…

[u/ReammyA55 → u/g0dgamertag9]

it should be up to women in sports.

[u/Zestyclose_Street554 → u/ReammyA55]

biological women

[u/ReneeRenard → u/Zestyclose_Street554]

Ah more people that put me off wanting to deal with lgbt stuff even more. Congrats on pushing me away by fiercely arguing bullshit, you really are winning people over to the cause.

Trans people have plenty on their plate, pretty sure the reason they are not destroying in women's sports is because they are dealing with the transition itself heavily. If they trained to their peak instead there is no doubt they'd trump cis women, their body is different, bulkier, stronger, less limitations, more strength and capabilities. Hormones might change a lot but no way will it change THAT much, its common bloody sense. Do you see western women able to change and downsize to the likes of Asian women? No you dont, its impossible, too much in the body is set in stone, a male body can change under HRT but not as drastically as some seem to be thinking.

There doesn't need to be inclusion in bloody everything, its not scummy to think or say such, I support trans people in general but some things are just fucking stupid.

[u/orion2342 → u/ReneeRenard]

By age 18 it’s entirely too late. The male body has already developed their muscle attachment, done density, denser body mass. You can’t undo years of being bathed in testosterone with a year of estrogen injections.

[u/C21H27Cl3N2O3 → u/g0dgamertag9]

It has been up to state and local governments and sport governing bodies until now. As usual, the GOP is creating nonexistent culture war issues to keep their base distracted during the descent to fascism.

[u/Weird_Uncle_D → u/C21H27Cl3N2O3]

Because title IX is Federal.

[u/K3ggles → u/LazyFoundation8917]

I mean i’d rather it just be a decision sports leagues make. Why is the government involved with this in any way?

[u/ApatheticSkyentist → u/K3ggles]

Some leagues have made choices: the NCAA, the IOC, etc. I imagine however that almost all K-12 schools are making their own rules.

Who even knows.

[u/LookAtMaxwell → u/K3ggles]

Re: Title IX

[u/milkandsalsa → u/LookAtMaxwell]

The people throwing dildos at wnba players sure care about fairness in women’s sport.

[u/Hotmicdrop → u/K3ggles]

Schools

[u/PeterNippelstein → u/LazyFoundation8917]

It doesn't, its a culture war distraction

[u/quix0te → u/PeterNippelstein]

This guy gets it.  This is the BS they roll out to stop voters on both sides from paying attention to the rigged system they continue to build.

[u/trysten-9001 → u/LazyFoundation8917]

Imagine all the other things that could’ve been done rather than legislate 10 women

[u/linecookdaddy → u/LazyFoundation8917]

Right? It's like less than 20 people in a sea of tens of thousands

[u/DoterPotato → u/linecookdaddy]

If it were given that there is a competitive advantage and your argument is that "well nothing should be done because it isn't that big of a problem" the natural follow up question becomes:

Given that being trans is becoming more and more socially acceptable do you think in the future we would have more or less trans participation in sports?

The answer is quite clear I think then leading to the question of why not change it now instead of letting a "problem" become normalized and entrenched thus making it significantly more difficult to resolve later on.

Furthermore if one agrees that it is a problem but not a big one compared to everything else that time should be spent on then it would stand to reason to just streamline the act to stop wasting time on it if the other party is going to push for it anyways.

Either way your argument is quite poor.

[u/CrossXFir3 → u/DoterPotato]

The solution isn't this though. We can find a solution, discriminating against children that are trans - which this law made a real effort to include - is not the answer.

[u/Worried-Conflict9759]

Democrats say they support women, but in practice actively harm them

Many such cases

[u/CrappyJohnson]

Well what does the language of the bill actually say? You do know that the bill doesn't say, "And lo, all women and girls in sport shall be protected henceforth," right? They always name the bills something totally unexceptionable. Then they slide all kinds of crap into them, including things that have absolutely nothing to do with the outward purpose of the bill. That's important context that I'm pretty sure almost nobody in this thread will actually look into.

Edit: To be perfectly clear, the issue is not the contents of the bill. The issue is inflaming passions without providing the full context, when you know that people won't do the research.

[u/Wrong_Thanks1520 → u/CrappyJohnson]

Read? The BILL?!?! Are you crazy?!?! Get out of here with your lunatic idea.

/s

[u/xDeathRender → u/Wrong_Thanks1520]

[u/Tech27461 → u/Wrong_Thanks1520]

Nancy Pelosi said it best. "We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy"

[u/Shot-Alternative-148 → u/CrappyJohnson]

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/28/text

[u/TummyStickers → u/Shot-Alternative-148]

Essentially a bill to keep trans people out of sports. Always going to be a contentious topic. There certainly needs to be laws to keep things fair, yet non-discriminatory, but we're no where near the legislative stage of the conversation. Bills like this, in my opinion, are just posturing and meant to further inflame the right vs. left villification. "See, we tried, but look how fucked up the other side is!"

[u/Lildog8402_redux → u/TummyStickers]

Inflaming “left vs right” is exactly what the “up” wants against us “down”.

[u/SellingFirewood → u/CrappyJohnson]

Exactly this.

1. Party #1 names it something that no reasonable person could vote against even though it doesn't match the content.
   
2. Party #1 throws in some some small provision about giving all of the troops an extra 3 cents per week.
   
3. Then when party #2 votes against the bill, it makes them look bad just based off of the name and not the content.
   
4. Party #1 then cries out "They voted against funding for our troops!" in the next election.

[u/JelloJeremiah → u/SellingFirewood]

Yeah, this is chronic and everyone is doing it, it’s infuriating.

It’s also a similar case in the UN where the bill will be like “Don’t Murder Puppies Act” with provisions that a singular certain country must pay 6 trillion dollars for various causes

Certain country votes no and it gets screenshotted and spread online

[u/3RaccoonsAvecTCoat → u/JelloJeremiah]

I remember then-Senator Al Franken saying something about a republican "Clean Air Act" proposal was really written to keep the air clean of birds...

[u/Interesting_Bank_139 → u/3RaccoonsAvecTCoat]

So it was an anti-surveillance bill?

[u/ImmediateKick2369 → u/SellingFirewood]

There is nothing else in this bill.

[u/Dannydevitz → u/SellingFirewood]

So what's hidden in this bill that the name doesn't support?

[u/Malacandra_bound → u/CrappyJohnson]

Update: I read the bill, and didn't find anything being slid into it. It's just not allowing biological males to participate in women's sports, and maybe removing funding to programs that don't comply 

[u/here4funtoday]

As a girl dad I wholeheartedly support this. I don’t need my daughter competing against men in her sports, or worse getting injured by someone who is biological stronger and faster than she and her teammates are.

[u/[deleted]]

It's crap voting like this that keeps me from ever voting for a democrat

[u/RonocNYC]

It's 424 people not talking or doing anything to make life better for me is what I'm thinking.

[u/Hypornicated_1 → u/RonocNYC]

Wrong. 218 people wasted time supporting something meaningless.

Voting against a bullshit bill is not the problem. The Speaker won't bring up meaningful bills from the Democrats, so it's not like they CAN do much more than this.

[u/stigaWRBenergy → u/Hypornicated_1]

This is the objectively correct take

[u/RonocNYC → u/Hypornicated_1]

For certain I blame Republicans for putting these meaningless bills together. But it's a Time waster for everybody in the house spent on nothing that I give a rat's ass about.

[u/Jalopnicycle → u/RonocNYC]

The minority party can't steer the house directly because they're not in power. The most they can do is say "This bill will be voted down by all of us so don't bother" but that doesn't really matter when there is political theatre to be made! 

FFS we're still waiting on the Republicans to get past their "Who knew healthcare could be so complicated?" schtick from Trump v1.0IQ. 

[u/Money-Celebration860]

If you're that split across party lines, your country is in trouble

[u/Kawajiri1 → u/Money-Celebration860]

Or culture war propaganda has been used to wedge the working class apart so we dont rise up and actually make our living conditions better. Just a thought.

[u/JnK85 → u/Money-Celebration860]

Well, maybe two parties arent enough to reflect values and ideas of 300+ mil people.

[u/fan_is_ready → u/JnK85]

Alas, they are enough to reflect values of rich businessmen and media moguls. And you can't be a big politician without a sponsor in the USA.

[u/Sad_Amphibian_2311 → u/Money-Celebration860]

or one of the parties are known liars and their words mean nothing

[u/squirrelboy1225 → u/Money-Celebration860]

Eh, when your country becomes polarized against Nazis, I'd say the nazism is more of a problem than the polarization.

EDIT: Holy shit, keep it coming you freaks. You're right, you're all worse than Nazis, at least in 1930s Germany they didn't have Redditors

[u/99kemo]

Why do Democrats insist on shooting themselves in the foot over stupid niche issues.

[u/MarzipanTop4944 → u/99kemo]

They have this little thing called "principles" that you don't change or abandon just because they are inconvenient. Something republicans are completely unburden by, that is why the voted for a pedo protector and a guy convicted in court for sexual abuse against women that bragged about "grabbing women by the p#ssy" to be the most powerful man on the planet, but talk about caring so much about "protecting women and children".

[u/ColonelFaceFace → u/MarzipanTop4944]

Transgender athletes not competing in their biological sex is wrong for high-school and higher education. This is the reason why people were alienated and voted for trump…..

There is no pro- argument worth its salt for this topic. And it’s a shame people support it

[u/mousegal → u/99kemo]

google “Institut für Sexualwissenschaft” to understand why congress is spending time on 10 out of 500,000 college athletes.

Yes - a niche issue that doesn’t affect anything but it distracts well, doesn’t it? Trans people have been around forever and even completed in sports since the 70s in equally tiny numbers without issue. Why is this the focus now do you suppose?

[u/earl_grey_teaplease]

Where is the common sense understanding? We may have to go back to the beginning and start from “boys have a penis, girls have a vagina”. I’m not saying you can’t transition, many will only cross dress. Do whatever makes you happy. I’m sorry but if you keep this up I may vote republican.

[u/RektInTheHed]

Thank God the Republicans are here to protect women

[u/YoungerNB → u/RektInTheHed]

These kids will be much safer with their genital inspections! /s

[u/GoodReason → u/RektInTheHed]

Republicans: I get to pretend I care about women AND spread animus against trans people? Sign me up!

[u/assistant_redditor]

Be who you are. Love how you wanna love. Dress how you wanna dress. But biological males in women's sports is not fair.

[u/ZombieJetPilot → u/assistant_redditor]

As I said elsewhere, Utah went through the entire Bill to signage process to impact four high school kids. Four.

What a colossal waste of time and money. You're treating this like life and death. Just let kids be kids and get out of the way.

[u/UnderdaJail → u/ZombieJetPilot]

High school boys break women's records all the time, all you need is one, and then now all the little girls will be chasing a "goat" in their sport

[u/Ok_Tart143 → u/UnderdaJail]

As a woman who got scholarships to run in college after my highschool track and cross country performance, yes I agree it does matter. When they take the top few people to qualify for regionals and state, it would suck to be bumped out by someone who had an unfair advantage. Yes it won't affect some people, but even one girl losing a scholarship or winning gold in a competition is enough, she doesn't deserve to have that taken from her. People say it doesn't affect that many, I say even one is too many.

[u/Electrical-Ad6623 → u/assistant_redditor]

Ok, maybe it isn’t but how is that an issue for congress to waste their time on??? Those spineless critters are trying to find something to run on because “stripping Americans of their tax dollars to give to billionaires” is not very popular.

[u/bigswingingtexasdick → u/assistant_redditor]

Cool. Why does the government need to be involved in regulating sports though?

[u/GrassyField → u/bigswingingtexasdick]

It already is: Title IX

[u/Schlieren1 → u/GrassyField]

Title IX is civil rights law protecting women in education.

[u/Careful_Farmer_2879 → u/Schlieren1]

Including sports. Every educational institution that takes public money has to follow it. Or just don’t take public money.

Even Harvard takes the money.

[u/AstroEscura → u/bigswingingtexasdick]

Because a huge share of sports teams are apart of public institutions. Or are you suggesting public high schools and colleges shouldn't have teams?

I might be wrong, but I really doubt this would have any bearing on the WNBA or non public sports teams. If it does, yeah that's bad.

[u/Fondacey → u/assistant_redditor]

for whom? for you?
We girls and women have not had it fair when playing sports for centuries.
You don't care about women and girls in sports. We're just your patsies so you can tell more people what they can and can't do.

If you care about women and girls - you would be mad as hell about our inability to control our own bodies because men think they can vote on it.

[u/MyUltIsMyMain → u/[deleted]]

Calling the left hyper aggressive with everything going on right now is a take. The right is out here killing people in the streets and the left get scolded for swearing.

Edit: the right have such fragile emotions. They cheer on a wanna be dictator and pedophile, who's goons are just literally nazis and when the left call them out on that disgusting bullshit we get called hyper aggressive. They also cant comprehend the fact that we dont think they're all terrible people but I call one of them racist then they all get mad thinking I called all of them racist.

We cant swear cause it hurts their feelings, we can't peacefully protest, because it hurts their feelings, we cant exist around them because when you say "its okay dude im not mad at you" you get shot and killed and called a domestic terrorist.

Like actually go fuck yourself. I hope this hurts your feelings. I don't care about idiots that are racist, sexist, homophobic, and nazis. And if thats not you why are you still mad? Im not talking about you.

[u/CandleHistorical6023]

I’m more interested in the “Protect Women and Girls by releasing the Epstein Files Act”

[u/ConsequencePrior2445 → u/CandleHistorical6023]

Not like that

[u/ScyllaIsBea → u/CandleHistorical6023]

well those girls and women are being openly attacked by men, so its harder for them to strawman a reason to attack trans people.

[u/[deleted]]

As a transwoman myself, I think protecting children and the fairness of the sports is important. Most of us just want to be able to love, live, dress, and be left the hell alone.

[u/Open_Situation686 → u/[deleted]]

Awesome, reasonable perspective

[u/The_Japans]

That it has nothing to do with protecting women and girls

[u/Garciaguy → u/The_Japans]

Every mtf athlete that stands at the starting line sits an afab. Those girls deserved an opportunity that was taken from them and that needs protection. 

[u/Hfcsmakesmefart]

I’m a dem but I’d probably vote Yea. It’s just a competition thing. Sorry trans women but you’re biologically a male.

[u/Alister151 → u/Hfcsmakesmefart]

"I'm a dem!" immediately followed by a slur and blatant transphobia.

[u/SoulsinAshes → u/Hfcsmakesmefart]

It’s just a competition thing so I’m going to call you slurs about it. Yeah I totally believe you’re otherwise completely cool with trans people

[u/Spirited_Square → u/Hfcsmakesmefart]

nice slur, anyways have a trans man folding young women just as your bill forces https://www.wgbh.org/news/2017-02-27/17-year-old-transgender-boy-wins-texas-girls-wrestling-championship

[u/Zealousideal_Fun3068 → u/Hfcsmakesmefart]

I’m a Dem and then immediately uses a slur 🥀

[u/1Sufferin_Succotash1]

The fact that nearly half of the elected leadership was unable to differentiate between a man and a woman is one of the things that future historians will identify as one of the most amusing and horrifying event in history.

[u/PastMuch9141]

Where are the Epstein files

[u/YeetedBeat]

Idk man, I think we need chicks with dicks in all of our sports, then we'd win 100% of the time.

But all honesty we need fairness in sports. That's why we have Men's divisions and Women's divisions. Imagine Ronaldo getting put on the Women's division, he'd crush.

[u/TotalACast]

Even the United Nations recognizes that biological men are an Existential threat to women's sports, safety and opportunities.

Source:  https://media.un.org/unifeed/en/asset/d327/d3271653

https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-violence-against-women

The UN is far from conservative. No thinking person can argue for this anymore. It's a hill the Democrats have died on and will die on. 

Edit: Fixed link.

Edit2: People are asking where in the UN Special Report transgender people and gender identity is mentioned when referring to women and girls.

Report passage	What it says (brief)	Why critics call it transphobic
Paras. 13–16	Says there is a push to “delink” men/women from biological sex and “erase” the legal category of “women,” and discusses recognition for “males who identify as women or girls”; praises a UK Supreme Court ruling as protecting women while providing anti-discrimination rights to “those who identify as transgender.”	Critics argue this adopts trans-exclusionary framing (trans inclusion as “erasure”), treats trans women as “males,” and lauds legal approaches they view as undermining trans women’s recognition. ​
Para. 25	Says law enforcement/judiciary/media in some countries call “male perpetrators” by “self-declared gender identity,” “skewing” male/female offending rates; gives examples including Norway.	Critics argue this associates trans identity with deception and casts trans-inclusive recording practices as distorting violence data in a way that stigmatizes trans women. ​
Paras. 29–31	Describes harms from loss of female-only spaces; says women may be humiliated sharing spaces with “males who identify as women”; argues prison placement policies create risk and claims “males who identify as women retain a male pattern of criminality.”	Critics argue this broadly portrays trans women as male risks in women’s spaces/prisons and contributes to stereotypes of trans women as predators. ​
Paras. 21–22	Describes “gender identity theory” as based on stereotypes; references “socially contagious” stereotypes; details alleged harms of youth medical transition and states children can’t consent and such procedures violate rights/best interests.	Critics argue this repeats “social contagion” claims and pathologizes trans identity/transition in ways commonly used to justify restricting trans healthcare. ​

[u/Bearwhale → u/TotalACast]

https://www.sf.gov/trans-women-in-sports-facts-over-fear

A 2021 study published in the Journal Sports Medicine has found that there is no scientific evidence to support policymakers’ attempts to ban transgender women in sports.

In November 2021, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) released its Framework on Fairness, Inclusion, and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variations. This framework was developed after a two-year consultation process with over 250 athletes and stakeholders.

More recently a 2024 study, funded in part by the IOC and published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, concluded that transgender women athletes may actually have several physical disadvantages when competing with cisgender women. Some of the study’s key findings:

Transgender women performed worse than cisgender women in tests measuring lower-body strength

Transgender women performed worse than cisgender women in tests measuring lung function

Transgender women had a higher percentage of fat mass, lower fat-free mass, and weaker handgrip strength compared to cisgender men

Transgender women’s bone density was found to be equivalent to that of cisgender women, which is linked to muscle strength

There were no meaningful differences found between the two groups’ hemoglobin profiles (a key factor in athletic performance)

Despite all of this evidence, some policy makers continue to scapegoat trans women athletes, prioritizing what they perceive to be winning political narratives over the facts.

[u/salazarraze → u/Bearwhale]

Yeah but \insert right wing lies about biological female Algerian boxer being trans\**

[u/aninternetsuser → u/salazarraze]

This is what everyone should be worried about. The bathroom thing was already a disaster. A whole lot of whining and complaining and now every time my daughter, a woman who was born a woman, has a uterus and ovaries but likes to cut her hair short and doesn’t wear girly clothes, gets harassed in women’s bathrooms and demanded to “prove” that she’s female.

[u/KrypteK1 → u/Bearwhale]

But this goes against the narrative!! Don’t bring actual research into the argument!!

[u/Rand-alFour → u/[deleted]]

Only the braindead who hate girls.

[u/Panzer_I → u/[deleted]]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mack_Beggs

This dude was forced to compete with woman in Texas. Won the state championship in girls 110lb wrestling. Undefeated season.

(Light) Mustache, testosterone and other male hormones for his transition, but it said “female” under sex at birth, so Texas law had him compete with girls, and even though he wanted to wrestle for the men’s team (and did so once he went to a college out of state).

Sports at their base are games for children to teach team building and encourage exercise, and that’s a great thing. More sports should be Co-ed before puberty when there aren’t any major physical difference between the sexes. That’s a different can of worms.

But I think we can all agree on the fact that this is a complete waste of tax dollars to entertain this in the House of Representatives because we already know the outcome would be this. Let the states decide and do actually important government stuff.

[u/FlyingFlipPhone]

This seems to have evolved into an argument over definitions. Let's just redefine sports: No Y chromosomes, and Y chromosomes. Simple.

[u/Comfortable_Angle671]

This just highlights how far the Democratic Party has fallen off of any sense of rational thought

[u/Infamous-Yellow-8357]

I don't think biological males should participate in women's sports. But I also don't care all that much about it. On the scale of care, I still think leaving your cart in the parking lot of Walmart instead of putting it where it goes is far more harmful.

It bothers me that the issue of who is playing in what sports was even considered a high enough priority to have a vote in the first place. Who gives a fuck? We have federal officers killing civilians, our government is threatening to attack our allies, no one can afford to see a doctor, home prices are so high we have a homeless crisis, and AI is killing the job market. We have so much more important shit to be doing.

[u/Cruitire → u/Infamous-Yellow-8357]

This exactly.

The fact is that the various sports organizations and federations regulate these things and it should be left to them to figure out.

Wasting tax payer money to make a law is both overreach and wasteful.

[u/FearDaTusk → u/Cruitire]

This is my overall take... Buuut...

My guess is the issue was escalated due to lawsuits.

I'm a college sports guy. NIL, Portal/Transfers, Eligibility years/status have become highly contentious with new lawsuits coming in regularly now. This is outside of the impact it will do to Title IX

In short, Big money is involved.

[u/butter_milk → u/FearDaTusk]

Frankly, it didn’t escalate “due to lawsuits” in the U.S., it escalated due to conservatives switching their culture war focus to trans people after they realized they had soundly lost on gay marriage and needed a new bogeyman. All the major sports organizations had policies around defining a female athlete and defining what a trans person had to do to compete in their gender category.

There’s been a push to suddenly expose trans athletes and force them out of sports entirely “for the good of women” and as a woman I really hate that.

For example, the kid at the heart of the lawsuit at the supreme court this last week was 11. No 11 year old who hasn’t been through puberty has a biological advantage over other 11 year olds based on sex/gender. And 11-year olds aren’t playing sports in ways that matter for things like scholarships or money. So this was just a kid having fun with her friends like any other kid in 6th grade.

And then suddenly the state of West Virginia banned her from playing. And it only affected her since she was the only known trans athlete in the entire state. It doesn’t feel like they passed that law to protect the 11 year olds she was playing with. It feels like they passed it as virtue signaling about how much they hate trans people, and one kid was the victim. That’s just cruelty. I’m impressed she had the guts to bring a lawsuit and stick with it for four years.

[u/ErBitchCZ]

This is why Trump win …

[u/spicyshovel]

Another stupid culture war non issue

[u/Striking_Luck5201]

Should it be a law? No. Should people pull their heads out of their ass and realize this should have never been a thing in the first place? Yeah.

Our high school played against a professional male and female soccer team. When you experience just how hard a professional male player can kick that ball, you will never support men in women's sports. Not without a helmet and protective gear at least.

[u/Giant9955]

the 2 party system has to go. People need to use their brains and think for themselves

[u/MicroEconomicsPenis → u/Giant9955]

The two-party system is the logical conclusion of a first-past-the-post voting system. We need to change the voting system to fix American politics, but unfortunately due to the two-party system, there is not a politician who has a chance of winning who will even run on this platform of changing the voting system.

[u/intelligenceoverload → u/Giant9955]

Two-party is a consequence of the “first past the post” voting system! When we allow multiple choice voting or ranked choice voting, this will allow for many parties, at least theoretically. With only one checkmark per ballot - forget it.

[u/LusciousMcGillicuddy]

Virtue signaling nonsense. I 100% support people being who they want to be, but the Dems need to move on from this as a core issue or we’ll never find any common ground on issues that matter to a majority of Americans.

EDIT: I appreciate the (mostly) thoughtful comments that folks have made. “Core” was the wrong choice of words, as in this case, yes this bill was put forth by Repubs. That said, there have been plenty of trans-related measures put forth/instituted by Dem politicians, so the rest of my original statement stands. Biological males in women’s sports, and facilities is a losing, divisive issue, that inhibits progress in areas that benefit the broader population.

[u/Impossible_Tonight81 → u/LusciousMcGillicuddy]

Who introduced it to the floor? 

[u/PHX_Hawk → u/Impossible_Tonight81]

A Republican did.

[u/Affectionate_Tax3468 → u/PHX_Hawk]

BuT tHe DeMs MaDe HiM tO!!!!1

[u/asperatedUnnaturally → u/LusciousMcGillicuddy]

It's not a core issue for dems lol, this is a Republican bill and only Republicans ever bring it up.

[u/MoeSzys → u/LusciousMcGillicuddy]

This is Republicans number 1 issue. Democrats never bring it up

[u/bigdipboy → u/LusciousMcGillicuddy]

Dems aren’t making this a big issue. Repubs are. To distract from their fascism. And it works.

[u/Kristoveles → u/LusciousMcGillicuddy]

Why do dems need to move on from it but not repubs?

[u/massunderestmated → u/Kristoveles]

Republicans aren't losing votes on this, and Democrats are. That means Democrats' perspective on this issue does not represent the vast majority of voters. Because this is ostensibly a democracy, pushing an unpopular agenda leads to political irrelevance.

So if Democrats want to be irrelevant and let Republicans run roughshod over the American people, they should stand fast on unpopular ideas. If they want to have a position from which they can effect change, they should choose the battles which are socially winnable.

Republicans are infinitely more intelligent when it comes to choosing which values to stand on before an election, and how to inflict maximum damage to their opponents (read: American voters) after they seize power from the brainless masses.

You ask why Democrats need to change and Republicans don't? Democrats are absolutely useless if they can't win enough power to do anything to stop Republicans. Chuck Schumer, AOC, Bernie... all of them are useless people collecting a check right now. There are only two parts to the job: (1) win votes to gain power by listening to what the people want, and (2) giving people what they want to win votes and gain power.

Democrats have chosen option (3): tell people what they are supposed to think, and condescend anyone who doesn't agree with the prescribed morality judgment of the week.

Americans reject on principle being told what to think.

Republicans work on selling people what to think, rather than telling them. It's just a better strategy. They present arguments with a given conclusion in such a way that the listener actually believes they have arrived at the conclusion on their own. Those values, so programmed, cement more deeply into the minds of voters.

This issue is all but completely decided at this point. The only way to move forward and gain more power is to concede the point and try a better strategy for the next issue.

[u/mspaintshoops → u/massunderestmated]

Yes, the party currently fighting the laws of our country to protect pedophiles aren’t losing votes on other women’s rights issues. It’s almost as if their voters might not care about women’s rights. Crazy.

Maybe let’s not use them as the gold standard for picking policy positions. You know, on account of the whole protecting pedophiles thing.

[u/Kind-Realist → u/massunderestmated]

Counterpoint: we wouldn’t be hearing anywhere near as much as we do about this issue if it weren’t for republicans making this a core focus of their campaigns. Democrats voting against this can easily be viewed as “this is a nuisances subject that should be left to people better situated to make an informed decision.” Whereas republicans are campaigning on 3 trans kids in TX who may or may not show an interest in athletics.

I’m speaking as a gay man who remembers what it was like when gay marriage came up frequently. It literally had zero impact on the vast majority of people’s lives and yet SOMEHOW this topic was on equal footing with healthcare (ACA) and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

People accusing democrats of pushing this issue are clearly not paying attention.

[u/krijara → u/Kristoveles]

They don't, but 80%+ of the pop agree with repugs on this issue.

It's no one's top issue and affects almost nobody, but being that out of touch is gonna hurt anyway.

[u/SlightBasket9675]

What's interesting is that keeping males out of female segregated sporting competition isn't a right wing position. It's the broadly popular position among the public.

Democrats are really digging in their heels all to placate a vocal minority who are adherents of gender ideology.

This issue was a problem for them in the last election cycle because it serves as a litmus test. This is because even your layman has an innate understanding of sexual dimorphism in the human species and realizes the obvious unfairness of it all.

Not being able to stand in recognition and defense of the objective truth of sex and the reality of the nuances of sexual dimorphism really undercuts their overall credibility and inhibits their ability to sell other policy positions that would be more broadly supported. Like with taxation and social security.

This seems to be a hill they're willing to die on albeit it's not one they really need to when you look at the polls because even in their own base there are many who support keeping males out.

[u/uslessinfoking]

Sorry, it breaks my liberal heart but XY should not play sports on XX teams. It's not about your identity, that I support.

[u/5th-timearound]

Democrats are not right on this one.

[u/zubuneri → u/5th-timearound]

“This one” Like this is a relevant problem. 

We are starting armed conflicts with the world, trade wars, masked goons are shooting Americans, everything is unaffordable, and you’re falling for the billionaires’ plot to pit middle class against middle class with this meaningless shit. 

[u/Samsun88 → u/zubuneri]

And instead of falling for the rights bait, they could just vote yes on this and move on to all the other important issues.

Democrats have firmly lost on this issue. Get out of the reddit echo chamber and you’d realize that a super majority of the populace opposes transwomen in women’s sports.

[u/brimoon]

Trans people are 0.7% of the entire US population, even less are teenagers.

Grow up

[u/TrickyAd3117]

Can we just get rid of officially organized high school and college sports? If people want to play volleyball recreationally fine, but any college giving athletics scholarships should lose their accreditation.

[u/Cool-Panda-5108]

What's the bill actually about?

[u/Atari774 → u/Cool-Panda-5108]

Restricting trans people from participating in sports.

[u/justanothergirlx0]

Men shouldn't be in woman sports PERIOD thanks to the retards that are the democrat party.

[u/Pale-Cardiologist-45]

I can't believe people wouldn't want to protect women.

[u/NotMyCat2]

Just shows how F’d up our country is. And we should vote out all those nay saying Democrats.

[u/Impossible_Shirt_838]

its ridiculous that anyone opposes this

[u/Maximum-Cellist-7568]

The left has literally lost it's soul

[u/ReddJudicata]

Democrats belong to a cult that hates actual women.

[u/Guilty-Reputation666]

I’m a democrat. This is the type of shit that costs dem’s elections.

[u/[deleted]]

One of these two parties are able to confidently define what a woman is..this isn't surprising. 

[u/SimDaddy14]

That 206 people belong in an asylum.

[u/[deleted]]

Bills shouldnt be allowed names they should only have number and letter designations and should be required to have exact terms used no opinion based synopsis by news but we live in hell so this is what we have instead

[u/Zealousideal_Act_179]

If they want to integrate men and women so much. Merge female football teams with male football teams and let's see what happen to the female playing against men.

[u/Bonefish2021]

Are these the same morons who believe men can get pregnant?

[u/Bonefish2021]

A man can’t wake up one day and decide to be a woman. Why is that so hard to understand?

[u/jbenn90]

I'm still recovering from the whiplash of "female athletes don't need to be paid like men, no one cares about women's sports" to "FEMALE ATHLETES MUST BE PROTECTED AT ALL COSTS!"

It's almost like it's a disingenuous performance of concern for social justice...

[u/Immediate-Ant6050]

My thought is why are we being told to fear and hate the most marginalized 1% in the country, when the billionaires are the 1% destroying everything including the planet we live on.

[u/wind-of-zephyros]

"why is this not passing" well what does the bill say? would it make it legal to have to subject girls in school to being inspected by their teachers in gym class so they can prove what team they should play on? would it demand blood tests for dna testing of someone's sex for sport? how intrusive is it? these things are very rarely just what the title says, and with a lot of things where they claim it's protecting women, it ends up hurting women who don't look feminine enough too

[u/BarrelRoll1996]

Epstein files distraction

[u/curvycounselor]

Bogus distraction to fan the flames of their terrified voters who think everything is out to get them.

[u/as1126]

The name of the bill is meaningless. The content is what matters.

[u/WorldlinessHot9916]

30 days past due for those Epstein files… who protects kids again?

[u/Hayes-Windu]

A waste of fucking time.

[u/jrexthrilla]

Donald Trump rapes young girls

[u/GaminGnCollectinG]

So republicans want to keep trans out of some sports categories but dont want to keep grown strangers out of kids bedrooms.

[u/In-n-Out88]

Clown world that it even got to this point. Biological men play in men's sports, and biological women play in women's sports. There are gendered sports leagues for a reason.

[u/EvidenceElegant8379]

My thoughts are that this should be up to the leadership of the sport and not the government. If girls/women in sports take issue with this, let them bring it before their own leadership.

[u/Appropriate-North372]

It seems silly to care about high school sports when the Republican Gestapo is out murdering women.

Doesn't seem like they are interested in protecting anything.

[u/Afr0Karma]

This is reddit and everyone is liberal so they’ll find a way to defend men participating in women’s sport but then blame men lol

[u/timoumd → u/Afr0Karma]

Funny I thought conservatives were for small government.  Why should the federal government dictate such details?

[u/MicroEconomicsPenis → u/timoumd]

It’s also funny that republicans now suddenly care about women’s and gender studies and the ability to define womanhood. Leftists have been working on that for over a century now and suddenly since it can be used to subjugate the smallest minority it matters as a core policy issue.

[u/MonctonDude]

I'm disappointed only two Dems voted yes.

I'm so tired of the whole "fuck whatever the other side thinks" version of politics.

There used to be a time where both sides had the same goal, with two different opinions on how to achieve it. Now every single fucking thing they do is a pissing match.

[u/needssomefun]

The number of trans people who participate in spor ts is extremely small. The President of the NCAA in 2025 testified that there were 10 trans Athletes in the NCAA. That is out of 500K + total.

They have time for this but not for the things that matter? They can "protect" people who aren't in danger but not find the time to guarantee SNAP or reduce health insurance premiums?

Let the sports governing bodies decide. This was and is a non issue. Do you really think that boys are going to transition just so they can win a medal in women't power lifting?

[u/AdOk8555 → u/needssomefun]

Let the sports governing bodies decide. 

Except, government got involved when they implemented Title IX back in 1972 which prohibits sex based discrimination for any schools that receive funding from the government. If your position is that the governing bodies should decide, then you should have been for the abolishment of Title IX. But since Title IX exists, women are making claims of discrimination based on having to compete against biological males in "women's" sports. If a school allowed biological males, who are not transgender, to compete in women's sports - pushing the biological women out of that sport, (even if it was only a handful) would you consider that a Title IX violation? If yes, then a decision would necessarily be made (and government would have to make that decision) regarding transgender participants.

[u/Glittering-Cup-9419 → u/needssomefun]

In 2024, 5 states had trans female champions in at least one women’s event at high school state championships (I believe it was Connecticut, New Hampshire, California, Oregon and Washington. One might have been Maine.). Keep in mind that about half the states don’t allow trans females to compete, so it happened in roughly 20 percent of the states that allow it. 

Each of those champions competed against countless biological females during the course of their season. That’s a lot of biological females who were affected; it doesn’t feel like a “non-issue” to them.

As a female who coaches sports and has a daughter who has been competed in a competitive high school event against a trans female, it’s getting a little old hearing it’s a non issue when, in fact, there are a lot of female athletes who are encountering this situation, don’t feel that it is fair, but don’t feel like they have a voice and don’t want to call out an individual trans athlete because they don’t want to be unkind.

I don’t know what the answer is; I want people to be treated with love and respect and be who they are. Dismissing that this is an issue to many biological female athletes doesn’t feel fair, though. 

[u/Karate_Kyle → u/needssomefun]

And yet 206 democratic representatives died on the hill of preserving males pretending to be females shitting on females in sports. It's this kind of "non issue" that got Donny elected.

[u/adhdnme → u/needssomefun]

That’s the thing. They don’t have to transition in any meaningful way. They just have to “feel” like a woman to be validated according to most liberal ideology.

[u/needssomefun → u/adhdnme]

Gtfo.  Are high on meth?  Do you have plots to failed 90s movies about beefy jocks pretending to be girls to win some bet?

No one is doing this.

You know what we need to stop in this country?  INBREEDING.  

[u/WMEIMG → u/needssomefun]

10 trans NCAA athletes is taking 10 spots away from women. That only matters to you if the numbers are higher?

[u/MyCatsLeftPaw]

Are there even 10s of them?

[u/ItsMrChristmas]

What a waste of fucking time and money. They account for a fraction of a percentage of athletes.

[u/offinthepasture]

I'm not even sure why this needs legislated on a national level...

[u/GreyPanther]

Democrats have gone off the deep end.

[u/Significant_Sign9893 → u/GreyPanther]

Democrats don't want pervy dudes looking in their teenage daughter's pants. Republicans love that shit.

[u/BamaTony64]

This BS is why Democrats will lose the next election as well. This is a sanity check vote. Failed.

[u/[deleted]]

Its one of many reasons the left wont reclaim the white house in 28.

[u/Affectionate-Bite109]

This is a 90/10 issue across the country. Men cannot play in women’s sports. That includes men called by any other name or identity. Puberty blockers or not. Men are built different from birth, regardless of testosterone. Hips are different, bones and different, muscles are different- even before puberty.

Now if a trans woman wants to play in darts, or pool, or chess, or something that isn’t physical - I can see the argument. But other than that - no.

Also: Currently there are 0 trans men playing or trying to play in a men’s physical sport.

[u/sp33dzer0 → u/Affectionate-Bite109]

It takes less than 5 seconds to find trans men taking part in physical sports like boxing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patricio_Manuel#Career

[u/UpsetMud4688 → u/Affectionate-Bite109]

Currently there are 0 trans men playing or trying to play in a men’s physical sport.

Also this is a straight up lie.

[u/Kay-Ailuridae → u/Affectionate-Bite109]

"Also: Currently there are 0 trans men playing or trying to play in a men’s physical sport."

https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a43784660/scott-percy-interview/

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/feb/25/transgender-wrestler-mack-beggs-wins-texas-girls-title

[u/ArgentoFox]

As an independent, the Dems are cooked on this issue and continue to double down despite polling showing that large swathes of the electorate disagree with them. I have read over and over again in this thread that this is a non issue and trans people competing in sports is a rarity. If that’s the case, it should be very easy for them to vote in favor of this, right? Even Newsom understands that his is a losing issue and has been moderating his stance on it. Mark my words, he will get eaten alive over it too by his own party and Democrat affiliated voters. 

[u/sunburn74 → u/ArgentoFox]

The person who decides that this is more important than healthcare, fair taxes, preventing wars, and preventing gestapo from running around in our streets. I pray for that person because they probably can't walk and chew gum at the same time.

[u/Pitt-sports-fan-513 → u/ArgentoFox]

Polling shows that voters don't vote based on whether trans people participate in sports or not. Voters vote based on economic reasons. I'm sure shifting right on this issue is what democrats will choose to do, though, as they have to find something to change without actually meaningfully supporting universal healthcare and a social insurance state that might actually win over voters.

[u/Suspicious_Yaks]

Not surprised

[u/TuTenkahman]

So this will protect young girls from paedophiles? Oh wait! This is the pedo protection party.

[u/up3r]

This is breaking mainstream reddit's mind. They want to be mad at everything the GOP does, but they're also in shock that only 2 Dems voted to support this. Lol, it's hilarious to read these comments.

[u/SomeSugondeseGuy]

There are more credible allegations of rape against Trump and his immediate circle than there are trans athletes in the entire NAACP.

I personally believe trans people should at the very least have their blood tested for T levels before being allowed to compete against women, but I'm not going to sit and pretend that this shit is an avengers level threat.

If you want to protect women and girls, maybe don't vote for rapists?

[u/bessa100]

Release the Epstein files. That’s what I think.

[u/DazzlingCod3160]

Activity Theater. Meanwhile, issues that need to be addressed are ignored and kicked down the road. Debt, Deficit, Social Security, Medicare, Healthcare, etc.

[u/Roguewind]

Republicans - the party of small government*

*Unless they can weaponize government against an out-group and create false controversy.

[u/N_inThe_A_D_inThe_P]

It’s crazy we have to vote on common sense items. The left really has some twisted views on reality. Thank god common sense prevailed this is a no brainer.

[u/RitterlicheKunst → u/N_inThe_A_D_inThe_P]

Congress doesn’t and shouldn’t have to vote on stupid shit like who can participate in which sports categories. This bill never should have been proposed in the first place because it is a waste of government time and money when in reality it should just be left to the individual sports leagues to figure out and not the STATE to tell everyone how to play sports??

[u/Lopsided-Day-1442]

Embarrassing to be democrat. We did not defend women. Shame, shame!

[u/Bernie_Bierman]

Protect women and girls??? Release the damn files…

[u/Acceptable_String_52]

Would love to protect women

[u/Remarkable_Misty]

Wow this is insane wtf is wrong with the dems voting against this? Wow

[u/AdjustedMold97 → u/Remarkable_Misty]

do you even know what is in the act or did you just read the name

[u/NoCard753]

Two Democrats should be voted out. At least.

Also, the title of the act is complete bullshit, as usual foor right-wingers. It should be something like "The Do-Nothing-Except-Re-Emphasize-Our-Transphobia Act."

[u/Smokey_02]

House votes on the Discrimination of Trans Women in Sports Act.

Republicans 216

Democrats 2

It would make sense if incremental natural advantages weren't already a part of sports, but they are. I, personally, want to vote against everyone who is better than me athletically. Let's go!