Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy hails the swimmer, who came second to Lia Thomas to introduce legislation ensuring men play on men’s teams and women on women’s teams.
- House Speaker Kevin McCarthy hosted an event Wednesday to mark National Girls & Women In Sports Day alongside conservative women lawmakers
- He issued a statement on behalf of Florida GOP Rep. Greg Steube reintroducing Steube’s bill entitled The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act
- It would force schools that receive federal dollars to ban transgender students from participating in sports teams that match their gender identity
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday introduced legislation aimed at barring student-athletes who were born biological males from women’s sports.
The Republican leader hosted an event to mark National Girls & Women In Sports Day, where he moderated a panel discussion featuring female athletes, each sharing stories of how they have been outperformed in their respective sports by a transgender woman.
Among the four panelists was Riley Gaines, a star swimmer from Kentucky. The 22-year-old has become an activist against the participation of transgender women on women’s sports teams after being forced to compete with University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas.
Gaines also moderated the panel during the event and later traded for McCarthy’s microphone to hear from Republican Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Lisa McLain of Michigan and Virginia Foxx of North Carolina.
The speaker opened his event by commenting on the absence of Rep. Greg Steube of Florida, who introduced the Women and Girls in Sports Protection Act in the Democrat-controlled House last year.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California hosted an event featuring women competing on school athletic teams against biologically male-born transgender women
Steube has been recovering at his Florida home for nearly two weeks after falling from a 25-foot ladder while performing maintenance on his property.
McCarthy read out Steube’s statement planned for the event: “House Republicans are committed to protecting women’s sports. Today we keep this promise.”
“As I have said many times, it’s a sad day in America when we have to introduce a bill that says men will play on men’s teams and women on women’s teams,” McCarthy read.
“But we’ve seen time and time again how the left favors only fairness consistent with their bright agenda.”
He said Americans were “rightfully outraged” when Thomas, a championship-level transgender swimmer, beat biologically female Sarasota swimmer Emma Weyant for the 2022 NCAA title.
“That’s why I’m pleased to have reintroduced legislation today that offers women and girls a fair playing field in competitive sports,” McCarthy read.
“It ensures that school sports conform to Title IX recognition of an individual’s reproductive biological and genetic characteristics at birth.”
In addition to Gaines, panellists included volleyball player Macey Petty, former track star Margo Knorr and retired tennis player Chloe Satterfield.
One of the keynote speakers was Kentucky star swimmer Riley Gaines, who previously competed against University of Pennsylvania transgender swimmer Lia Thomas
Thomas’ participation on the UPenn girls’ swim team has brought the issue of transgender students’ participation in school sports teams of their chosen gender to the forefront of current culture clashes
During Gaines’ subsequent panel with the three Conservative lawmakers, Michigan Rep. McLain tore down rules allowing students to use school locker rooms that match their chosen gender.
‘Where is the equality?’ McLain was angry.
“As a mother, I have no idea what I would have done if my daughter had come home and said, ‘Mom, I had to undress in a dressing room in front of a man with a penis.’
She continued, “You know what I call this? I call that indecent exposure. So let’s just start calling it out for what it is.’
Conservative efforts to crack down on transgender participation in school sports have gained momentum in recent years, particularly since the rise of Lia Thomas.
It has become a new culture war front and was even mentioned as a campaign issue in several races in the 2022 election.
The left and LGBTQ activists have pushed back, claiming that policies that force students to participate in school activities marked by sex — rather than gender identity — are oppressive to transgender youth.
According to the LGBT-MAP Project, 18 states currently have laws that prohibit students from participating in school sports that match their gender identity.