HARRISBURG (Newsradio 100.1 FM and AM 1020 KDKA) – Five Pennsylvania House of Representatives introduced a bill on Monday to keep women's sports fun and fair, was met with opposition from Governor Wolf and the Pennsylvania LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus.
Reps. Valerie Gaydos (R- Allegheny), Barb Gleim (R-Cumberland), Martina White (R-Philadelphia), Dawn Keefer (York/Cumberland) and Stephanie Borowicz (R- Clinton/Centre) introduced House Bill 972, the Fairness in Women's Sports Act.
In 1972, Congress passed Title IX, which stopped discrimination and created equal athletic opportunities for women.
President Joe Biden issued an executive order on his first day in office that required biological males to be permitted to compete on women's sports teams in high school and college. The executive order, the PA reps state, violates Title IX and "would effectively end girls' and women's competitive sports."
If the courts uphold Biden's executive order, any school receiving federal funding would require biological males who self-identify as female to be permitted on girls' sports teams.
"Allowing biological males to compete in biological female's sports would reverse nearly 50 years of advances for women," the five house reps said in a statement.
ThePennsylvaniaLGBTQ+ Equality Caucus responded to the House Bill 972 by saying that the five state representatives were attempting "to fuel a culture war over the existence of transgender people and block their full participation in their own communities."
Governor Wolf's administration also issued a statement in protest, stating, "any legislation designed to deny opportunities to certain children is both disturbing and dangerous," and that the Governor "would veto this type of legislation."
The five Republican representatives do not agree, as they stated that House Bill 972 would "protect Title IX and will help promote gender equality by giving biological females a fair playing field when competing, thereby granting better access to scholarship opportunities and future success in life."
