Congress
House Republicans pass legislation to ban transgender students from competing in sports
President Joe Biden opposes measure.

The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act (HR 734), a bill that would prohibit transgender women and girls from competing on school sports teams consistent with their gender identity.
Members voted 219-203 along party lines for passage of the bill, which was introduced by U.S. Rep. Gregory Steube (R-Fla.) and is the first standalone piece of legislation restricting the rights of trans Americans that has ever been considered by the lower chamber. Ā
The bill would bar student athletes āwhose sex is maleā from participating in womenās and girlsā athletic programs or activities, provided that āsexā is ābased solely on a personās reproductive biology and genetics at birth.ā
In anticipation of Thursdayās move by House Republicans, the White House issued a statement Monday vowing to veto the proposal, should it ever reach the presidentās desk ā an unlikely outcome, considering Democratsā majority control of the U.S. Senate.
āAs gun violence plagues our schools, anti-equality politicians decided the most pressing priority for the House was to ban trans girls of all ages from playing on school sports teams with their friends,ā Congressional Equality Caucus Chair Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) said in a statement published by the caucus on Thursday.
āTrans girls deserve the same opportunity as all other girls ā to be part of a team, learn sportsmanship and challenge themselves,ā Pocan said, adding, āI condemn todayās vote to rob trans girls of these opportunitiesā and āmy colleagues who voted for this bill should be ashamed.ā
U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), who co-chairs the Equality Caucus, condemned passage of the ādangerous bill that targets transgender and intersex youth for discrimination.ā
The bill āis so vaguely written,ā Torres said, āthat it could force any girl [emphasis original] to undergo invasive medical exams to āproveā their sex and answer deeply personal questions about their bodies and physical development to adults they might not even know.ā
LGBTQ, civil liberties groups condemn the bill’s passage (with one exception)

The major LGBTQ and civil rights advocacy groups issued similar statements condemning Thursdayās vote for passage of HR 734:
Julianna S. Gonen, federal policy director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, accused House Republicans of bullying, exclusion, and cruel treatment of trans kids, writing that the GOP caucus had ācrossed a dangerous lineā and urging ātheir constituents to hold them accountable.ā
“To our legislators, we say: PFLAG families with transgender and nonbinary kids are your relatives and neighbors, your colleagues and friends, your constituents,” said Brian Bond, the group’s executive director. “We will continue leading with love to ensure that all kids are safe, celebrated, empowered and loved so that they can live their best and fullest authentic lives.āĀ
āYoung transgender people should not have to watch lawmakers debate their basic humanity,ā said GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis. āLegislators must meet with transgender youth, their families, teammates and coaches who would be harmed by this dangerous legislation; propose ways to protect all youth; and stop pushing anti-LGBTQ discrimination in a phony attempt to protect women and girls.ā
House Republicans āknow this bill will not become law because President Biden has already signaled his intention to veto it, so this is purely a waste of time at the expense of an already marginalized population,ā said Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson.
āWe know that attacking trans kids didnāt work in the 2022 election, and it wonāt work in 2024 either,ā she added.
Casey Pick, the Trevor Project’s Director of Law and Policy, said: āThis unfair and unnecessary legislation offers a distorted interpretation of Title IX and a false choice. We can protect the progress women have made in sports and promote fairness, while also fostering the inclusion of transgender women and girls.ā
āWe will continue to work with the Department of Education to ensure its recently-announced proposed rule on Title IX is implemented in a way that is equitable and effectively combats discrimination,ā Pick said.
The agency introduced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Title IX earlier this month. If adopted as written pursuant to a public comment period, the policy would prohibit categorical bans targeting trans student athletes, but ā under certain circumstances and provided other conditions are met ā would allow schools to adopt criteria whose effect would be to exclude trans individuals from competing.
Voters did not elect Republican members of Congress so they can spend their time bullying children, ACLU National Political Director Deirdre Schifeling said in response to Thursday’s vote, which she called “a cynical attack against some of the most vulnerable youth in our country.ā
The ACLU noted more than 450 bills targeting the rights of trans Americans have been introduced in state legislatures so far in 2023. Many have been signed into law, including measures restricting or prohibiting trans students from competing in school sports, of which three are facing legal challenges from the ACLU and its national affiliate network.
One notable exception amid the chorus of condemnation came from the conservative LGBTQ group Log Cabin Republicans, whose president Charles Moran issued a statement applauding the House GOP’s passage of the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act.
Moran characterized the “media opposition” to the bill as “partisan, hostile and misleading,” denied that the vote was “anti-trans,” and committed to “working with Republican lawmakers across the country to pass legislation that respects trans Americans while protecting athletic opportunities for women.”
Congress
EXCLUSIVE: Outgoing Rep. Cicilline on future of LGBTQ rights and life after Congress
Gay congressman departs office this week; led major LGBTQ legislative victories

Speaking with the Washington Blade by phone on Tuesday from Rhode Island, U.S. Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) was optimistic about the outcome of the debt ceiling negotiations that have roiled Capitol Hill, the White House, and Wall Street for weeks.
āMy sense of it is there are enough Democratic and Republican votes to get it to the presidentās desk,ā said the congressman, who would fly back to Washington in the evening with the expectation that a vote would be held the following day.
Even amid the chaos and back-and-forth travel this week, Cicilline was ready to look back on the landmark legislative accomplishments of his distinguished career in politics, which have included groundbreaking advancements for LGBTQ rights.
And despite the ascendancy of anti-LGBTQ attacks from the right, including from much of the Republican caucus, he told the Blade there is ample reason to be optimistic that the chamberās pro-equality work will continue in his absence.
As announced back in February and effective on Thursday, Cicilline will retire from Congress to lead his stateās largest philanthropic organization, the Rhode Island Foundation, having represented its 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House since 2011.
A former attorney, Cicilline was tapped to lead the House Judiciary Committeeās Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law as well as the House Foreign Affairs Committeeās Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and Global Counterterrorism.
Particularly in recent years, the congressman became one of the most powerful House Democrats, elected to leadership in 2017 as a co-chair of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee and picked in 2021 by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to serve as one of the nine members tasked with managing the Houseās second impeachment of former President Donald Trump.
Among other legislative achievements, Cicilline is widely credited with leading the Houseās passage, twice, of the biggest civil rights bill since the 1964 Civil Rights Act ā the Equality Act, which would prohibit anti-LGBTQ discrimination in areas from education and housing to employment and public accommodations.
While the Senate failed to pass the Equality Act, Cicilline said, āIām handing that work off to [U.S. Rep.] Mark Takano [D-Calif.], who I know will take it over the finish lineā once Democrats win control of the House again.
The congressman told the Blade that he hopes his leadership on this bill will be remembered as a key part of his legacy ā and was adamant that its passage through both chambers is now a question of āwhenā rather than āif.ā
āThe majority of Americans support the Equality Act, and a majority of voters in every single state support nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people,ā so āthis is about the Republican conference in Congress catching up with the American people,ā Cicilline said.
Congress is beginning to look more like America in at least one respect, though. After his first election to the House, Cicilline was one of only three openly LGBTQ members serving in Congress (having already made history in 2003 as the first openly gay mayor of a state capital, Providence, R.I.).
Today, āIām leaving with 10 colleagues in the House and two in the Senate,ā he said, āso thatās great progress.ā
āThe calvary has arrivedā with āyoung new members who are going to lead the next wave of this fightā such as openly LGBTQ U.S. Reps. Robert Garcia (Calif.), Becca Balint (Vt.), Eric Sorensen (Ill.), and Ritchie Torres (N.Y.), Cicilline said.
Echoing comments from his final speech on the House floor last week, the congressman also expressed his faith and confidence in party leaders with whom he has worked closely, including Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.)
Tonight, I addressed the House of Representatives for the final time as a Member of Congress.
ā Congressman David N. Cicilline (@RepCicilline) May 24, 2023
As a lifelong Rhode Islander, it is only fitting that my final message is one of HOPE — hope for our democracy and our Congress.
Watch here:https://t.co/2HTSNuuk1P
Hopes and expectations for the current Democratic conferenceās ability to deliver on behalf of LGBTQ Americans were buttressed late last year by passage of the Respect for Marriage Act, legislation co-led by Cicilline that codified fundamental rights for same-sex couples that might otherwise be erased if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns or weakens its constitutional protections for marriage equality.
How to combat the rightwing crusade against LGBTQ and especially trans Americans
However prepared Cicilline believes his colleagues are to meet the moment, the congressman is also up to speed on the unprecedented challenges presented by the current political climate with respect to LGBTQ rights.
This year, state legislatures have introduced hundreds of bills targeting trans Americans, which endeavor to restrict their access to everything from lifesaving healthcare to public bathrooms. At the same time, anti-trans rhetoric has escalated to such an extent that a rightwing pundit speaking at CPAC said “transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely,” which some interpreted as a call for genocide against the community.
Legislatively, Cicilline said it is all part of a cynical political strategy adopted by Republicans. Having concluded that their crusade against same-sex marriage was no longer winnable, the party sought another way to fight against LGBTQ rights, eventually polling anti-trans positions and messaging that successfully motivates āthe most extreme parts of their political base,ā he said.
āOur Republican colleagues have weaponized the trans community in such a way that they think it’s politically advantageous to attack even trans kids,ā which is āreally horrificā especially considering the potential for tragic real-world consequences, including targeted violence against the trans community, Cicilline said.
āI hope people who are seeking public office will be conscious of that and will be responsible, but unfortunately, I think there are some who are so driven by their desire for power, that they’re prepared to do almost anything to get there,ā the congressman added.
Some conservatives hope their polarization of and fear mongering about trans issues will drive a wedge, providing sufficient incentive or a permission structure for LGB Americans to turn their backs on the trans community, Cicilline said, but āThat’s not gonna happen.ā
āWe are standing in lockstep with our trans brothers and sisters, and we’re just not going to allow them to be attacked in this way,ā he said.
Broadly speaking, Cicilline said elected Democrats must āstand up for the queer community, speak out, condemn this kind of [anti-LGBTQ/anti-trans] legislation, and let the American people see the contrastā between the Democratic Party, which āstands for inclusion and has fought for LGBTQ+ equalityā and the GOP, which is pushing āthese very toxic and dangerous and un-American attacks on the LGBTQ community.ā
The congressman noted that working against the interests of LGBTQ Americans is nothing new for congressional Republicans. āWith just a couple of exceptions,ā he said, the House GOP caucus voted against the Equality Actās nondiscrimination protections, which stem directly from Americaās most basic foundational values of fairness and equality.
āSo that means I have colleagues in the Congress of the United States on the Republican side who fundamentally rejected the legislation that would grant me and others in my community full equality as citizens of this country, [colleagues who would] allow discrimination to continue against our community,ā Cicilline said.
When it comes to navigating interpersonal working relationships with anti-LGBTQ Republicans in the chamber, though, āI frankly donāt really care how they feel about us,ā the congressman said. āThatās irrelevant to me.ā
Cicilline to continue advocating for LGBTQ Americans after Congress
In addition to the Equality Act, Cicilline said that if Democrats recapture control of the House, he expects to see renewed momentum for a bill that he authored, the Global Respect Act, and another for which he was an original cosponsor, the LGBTQI+ Data Inclusion Act. Both were passed by the House but not by the Senate and therefore remain āunfinished business,ā he said.
The Global Respect Act, Cicilline said, āwill allow the U.S. to impose visa sanctions on anyone who commits gross human rights violations against the LGBTQ community,ā while the latter bill would mandate that federal surveys must include data collection on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Other legislative efforts that Cicilline has led, in areas from antitrust to foreign policy to gun violence, also include some āunfinished businessā ā bills that might see movement in the next Congress that carry the potential, in many cases, to measurably impact the lives of all Americans.
For instance, Cicilline, who has been at the vanguard of Congressās work modernizing and strengthening antitrust law, remains hopeful about the eventual passage of six bills that he introduced in 2021, all designed to increase competition in digital markets.
These would curb the monopolistic power of dominant tech platform companies whose business models center engagement as the primary mechanism to drive advertising revenue ā even though, as these firms are aware, content that tends to earn more engagement tends to be that which is incendiary, offensive, hateful, false, or misleading, violent or otherwise outrageous.
Looking beyond Congress, Cicilline said he is eager to continue advancing āequality and justice for our communityā at the Rhode Island Foundation, building upon the organizationās existing work āsupporting the organizations that are doing really important work to support the LGBTQ community.ā
Cicilline acknowledged that leading an āexplicitly non-partisan organizationā will be a departure from his work in Washington ā though perhaps not to the extent one might imagine.
āYou know, our community remains, in this country, a marginalized community,ā the congressman said. āIn fact, itās the only community, still, in America, that it’s legal to discriminate against.ā
At this point, rather than pivoting back to discussing the need for passage of the Equality Act, Cicilline instead explained that because of the lack of national nondiscrimination protections, he is even more eager to include the LGBTQ community in the foundationās work advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to hold a vote within the next couple of days over whether to expel U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) from the chamber, a largely symbolic move that will put Republicans on the record as the embattled congressman faces criminal charges.
U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) introduced the resolution in January, reportedly with support from House Democratic leadership, but it would need a two-thirds majority to pass.
The Republican caucus could vote to table the motion, but only five defections would force a final ballot over Santos’ expulsion.
Calls for the congressman’s resignation began shortly after he took office, as reports began to surface that he had fabricated major claims about his life and biography and multiple law enforcement agencies started probing allegations of financial malfeasance.
Pressures intensified last week when the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York arraigned Santos on 13 criminal counts of fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements.
Some Republican members have publicly urged Santos to step down, but GOP leadership so far has declined to take a hard stance pending the conclusion of investigations and law enforcement actions.
Santos represents New York’s 3rd Congressional District, serving in the seat that former Democratic U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi vacated. His electoral victory in 2022 provided a crucial vote for Republicans, who only narrowly won control of the House.
Congress
Tuberville, 21 GOP senators call for White House to withdraw rule change for trans athletes
Senators specifically addressed Education Secretary Miguel Cardona

U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) on Monday led a group of 21 other Republican senators in calling for Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to withdraw the administration’s proposed rule change that would prohibit blanket bans of transgender student athletes.
āOur comment sent to Secretary Cardona echoes what most Americans already know to be true: Forcing schools to allow biological males to compete against young women is unfair, unsafe and wrong,āĀ Tuberville said in a statement.
If adopted as written, the draft policy unveiled by the U.S. Department of Education last month would affirm āthat policies violate Title IX when they categorically ban transgender studentsā from participating on teams that align with their gender identity.
At the same time, the guidelines allow for exceptions that would bar trans student athletes in certain circumstances and provided various conditions are met.
Separately, Tuberville drew ire over his comments during an interview last week in which he said the Pentagon was wrong to root out white nationalists serving in the U.S. military.
āThey call them that,ā Tuberville replied, referring to the Biden administrationās criticism of white nationalists. āI call them Americans.ā
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