Megan Rapinoe, Sue Bird among athletes who sign letter opposing Protection of Girls and Women in Sports Act

Megan Rapinoe, Sue Bird and Becky Sauerbrunn were among the 40 professional, Olympic and paralympic athletes who co-signed a letter to House lawmakers in opposition to the Protection of Girls and Women in Sports Act.

Athlete Ally, an athlete group that supports LGBTQ+ initiatives, sent the letter on Monday, according to Sports Illustrated. The athletes believe the bill wouldn’t protect women in sports but rather exclude women and girls from getting “mental and physical health benefits.”

“We believe that gender equity in sport is critical, which is why we urge policymakers to turn their attention and effort to the causes women athletes have been fighting for decades, including equal pay, an end to abuse and mistreatment, uneven implementation of Title IX, and a lack of access and equity for girls of color and girls with disabilities, to name only a few. Our deepest hope is that transgender and intersex kids will never have to feel the isolation, exclusion and othering that H.R. 734 is seeking to enshrine into law,” the letter reads.

The Biden administration’s proposal to forbid outright bans on transgender athletes drew scrutiny last week. The proposed rule establishes that blanket bans would violate Title IX. It would be difficult for schools to ban, for example, a transgender girl from playing on a girls’ baseball team.

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The proposed rule would leave room for schools to develop policies that prohibit trans athlete from playing on more competitive teams if those policies are designed to ensure fairness or prevent sports-related injuries.

Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., introduced the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act in February. The bill seeks an amendment to Title IX “to provide that for purposes of determining compliance with Title IX of such Act in athletics, sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.”

The bill also says it would be a violation of the act for “a recipient of Federal financial assistance who operates, sponsors, or facilitates athletic programs or activities to permit a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls.”

House lawmakers may consider the bill next week.