Transgender bill barring men from women's sports to get floor vote in newly GOP-led Senate

The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act has been a yearslong crusade for the Alabama Republican, who originally introduced it in 2023.

Tuberville's legislation would ban federal funding from going toward athletic programs that allow biological men to participate in women's and girls' sports.  

"President Trump ran on the issue of saving women's sports and won in a landslide," the senator said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "70% of Americans agree-men don't belong in women's sports or locker rooms. I have said many times that I think Title IX is one of the best things to come out of Washington. But in the last few years, it has been destroyed."

"While I'm glad that the Biden administration ultimately rescinded the proposed rule, Congress has to ensure this never happens again. I am welcoming my first granddaughter this spring and won't stop fighting until her rights to fairly compete are protected. I hope every one of my colleagues will join me in standing up for our daughters, nieces, and granddaughters by voting for this critical bill."

The measure is co-sponsored by 23 Republican senators, including Sens. James Risch and Mike Crapo of Idaho, Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Thom Tillis and Ted Budd of North Carolina, Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., Cindy Hyde-Smith and Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Tom Cotton, R-Ark., James Lankford, R-Okla., Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy of Montana, Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Mike Lee, R-Utah, John Kennedy, R-La., John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Katie Britt, R-Ala., and Pete Ricketts, R-Neb. 

"Men have no business disenfranchising or endangering young women. Letting biological men take the field against girls has cost them victories, scholarships and even their health. This bill would make girls' sports safe for girls again, and I'm going to do everything in my power to help it pass Congress quickly," Kennedy said in his own statement. 

According to Tuberville's office, he is working closely with President-elect Donald Trump to ensure there is fair competition under his administration. 

With the new Senate under the authority of Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., Tuberville's bill has gotten the proper blessing to move forward. A vote on the measure could come as soon as the end of the week. 

Democrats will be forced to put themselves on record about the transgender issue, which managed to rear its head during the 2024 presidential election and get pushback from Americans at the ballot box. One of the most memorable ads from the Trump campaign claimed, "Kamala is for they-them; President Trump is for you." 

Last month, the Biden administration withdrew a proposed Title IX rule change in a lame-duck move after a long fight to adjust the policy. 

During his term, the administration sought to expand the definition of sex discrimination to include both sexual orientation and gender identity in order to protect LGBTQ students. 

The proposal received inordinate levels of resistance and delayed plans to implement the new rule. 

Additionally, Biden's effort was tied up in legal challenges. His rule change was struck down in several states by a U.S. district judge over the summer.