U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) characterized 218 of her fellow lawmakers as “bigots” following a vote by the Republican-led House to prohibit male athletes who identify as transgender from participating in women’s and girls’ sports at federally funded schools and educational institutions. Two Democrats, Representatives Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez from Texas, voted in favor alongside House Republicans, while another Democrat, Representative Don Davis from North Carolina, opted to vote “present.” The legislation is anticipated to be addressed by the Republican-controlled Senate.
In the previous session of Congress, House Republicans passed the bill with a vote tally of 219 to 203, strictly along party lines. However, the Democrat-controlled Senate did not consider the bill at that time. Currently, Republicans express confidence in the bill’s passage, citing a growing public consensus favoring restrictions on male participation in women’s sports and opposition to gender reassignment surgeries for minors. According to Gallup’s 2023 annual “values and beliefs” poll, 69 percent of Americans support such a ban. A recent survey by NORC at the University of Chicago this summer revealed similar findings, with 66 percent of respondents opposing the participation of men and boys in women’s and girls’ sports.
