Republican to propose resolution calling on NCAA to ban trans athletes from women's sports

FIRST ON FOX: Just one day after Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., got the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act passed in the House of Representatives, he already has plans to introduce a resolution to further tackle the issue of trans athletes in women's sports.

Steube will be introducing a joint resolution alongside Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., that will call on the NCAA to revoke eligibility of trans athletes who compete as women. It would also call on the NCAA to create new policies that would forbid any future trans-identifying males from competing as women, and push all their member conferences to do the same, according to a draft of the legislation obtained by Fox News Digital.

"Young women across the country have suffered injuries, faced sexual harassment, and lost accolades because they were forced to share spaces designed for women with men," said Senator Blackburn. "The vast majority of Americans agree athletes should only be allowed to compete on teams that correspond with their biological sex. The left’s cowardly pandering continues to put innocent girls in harm’s way, and we must put an end to this assault on women once and for all."

Unlike the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, this resolution would directly address the issue of trans inclusion at the college level and would also affect schools that aren't federally funded. 

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Steube's earlier bill only provides that it is a violation of Title IX for federally funded education programs or activities to operate, sponsor or facilitate athletic programs or activities that allow individuals of the male sex to participate in programs or activities that are designated for women or girls. 

But this resolution could extend to private institutions that compete in the NCAA. The issue of trans inclusion at the women's college level has been a mainstream political issue during the Biden administration, highlighted by controversies involving trans swimmer Lia Thomas in 2022 and trans volleyball player Blaire Fleming in 2024. 

"Women’s sports were created to ensure fairness and opportunity for female athletes," Steube told Fox News Digital. "The NCAA’s discriminatory policy jeopardizes that fairness, putting women at a competitive disadvantage while creating safety threats. Denying biological reality erases decades of progress for women in sports and undermines the very foundation of Title IX. I'm honored to join Senator Blackburn in introducing this resolution to show that Congress stands strongly with women."

The NCAA has enabled and protected trans athletes in women's sports with its current policies. 

NCAA President Charlie Baker faced questions and criticism from Republican lawmakers for these policies during a congressional hearing on Dec. 17. He repeatedly cited federal law and recent rulings of federal courts that have enabled it. 

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On President Biden's first day in office, he issued an executive order to allow and protect trans inclusion in women's sports. And during December's hearing, Baker referenced "five lawsuits in the last 18 months" that have enabled trans athletes to compete against biological females. However, there have not been any rulings that have explicitly instructed the NCAA to allow trans athletes to compete against females or share women's locker rooms.

If Steube's bill becomes law, Baker and the NCAA will be tasked with enforcing the new mandates, just as he claimed to be enforcing the previous ones under Biden.

One of the groups that lobbied heavily for this resolution was the Concerned Women for America (CWA), which has taken up the issue of trans athletes competing against women at the NCAA level as a core mission throughout Biden's term. 

Current CWA legislative strategist and former NCAA women's athlete Macy Petty told Fox News Digital that she attempted to deliver a letter on this issue to NCAA Board of Governors Chair Dr. Linda Livingstone last year, but was dismissed and that Livingstone "didn't even look me in the eye." 

"The NCAA continues to fail their responsibility to protect female athletes and are the foremost leader facilitating this discrimination. They’ve proven an utter disregard for the safety and dignity of their athletes they govern," Petty said. 

The NCAA may soon have to answer to a new set of rules once the Trump administration begins. 

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President-elect Trump himself vowed to ban trans athletes in women's sports as president during his 2024 campaign, and it became one of the key issues for him and other Republicans in their sweeping November victory. 

The issue became so prominent that the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act was the first priority of the 119th Congress and passed the House with unanimous support from Republicans and even two Democrats. 

With a Republican majority in the Senate as well, both of Steube's proposals could be approved during Trump's first year in office. 

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