Capito Joins Effort to Protect Women's Sports

Press Release

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) recently joined 13 of her colleagues in introducing the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, legislation that would protect athletic opportunities for female athletes.

"Women's sports should remain just that -- women's sports," Senator Capito said. "Forcing girls and young women to compete against biological males robs them of their chance to succeed on an equal playing field, and flies in the face of the advancement and celebration of women's athletics. As an athlete myself and the mother of a daughter who played a college sport, I am proud to champion this legislation that supports female athletes of all ages through fair and equal competition."

Specifically, the bill, authored by Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah), would ensure that Title IX provisions relating to athletics treat sex as that which is "recognized based solely on a person's reproductive biology and genetics at birth." Further, if any recipient of federal funding who operates, sponsors, or facilitates athletic programs or activities permits a male to participate in a women's sporting event, they would be found to be violation of the statutory regulations outlined in Title IX.

Along with Senator Capito, the original cosponsors of Senator Lee's bill include, U.S. Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.).

Outside organizations in support of the bill include: Concerned Women for American (CWA), American Principles Project (APP), Family Research Council (FRC), Ethics & Public Policy Center (EPPC), Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), Save Women's Sports, Heritage Action for America (HAFA), Independent Women's Forum (IWF), United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Family Policy Alliance, and Women's Liberation Front (WoLF).

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