HR 28: Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025

HR 28 in plain English: This bill would make it a violation of Title IX for federally funded school athletic programs to allow individuals whose biological sex at birth was male to participate in sports programs designated for women or girls. Sex is defined under the bill as based on reproductive biology and genetics at birth. The Government Accountability Office would be required to report on effects of male participation in girls' and women's sports.

Stated purpose

The bill aims to prohibit federally funded school athletic programs from allowing individuals who are biologically male at birth to compete in sports programs designated for women or girls, by defining sex under Title IX as based solely on reproductive biology and genetics at birth.

Key points

• Bars federally funded schools from allowing individuals born male to compete in women's or girls' athletic programs
• Defines sex as determined by reproductive biology and genetics at birth
• Allows individuals born male to practice or train with women's teams if no female athlete loses opportunities or benefits
• Requires a GAO report on psychological, developmental, and participatory effects of male participation in girls' sports

Arguments supporters make

• Women and girls deserve a fair competitive environment, and biological differences at birth can create physical advantages that undermine equal opportunity in sports.
• Title IX was created to protect opportunities for female athletes, and this bill reinforces that original intent by ensuring roster spots, scholarships, and competition chances go to biological females.
• Allowing males to participate in women's sports can displace female athletes from teams and opportunities they need to access college scholarships and athletic careers.

Arguments opponents make

• Transgender girls who have transitioned, especially at young ages, may not have meaningful biological advantages, and a blanket ban ignores the complexity of individual cases and existing sports governing body policies.
• The bill singles out a small group of students for exclusion, which critics argue causes serious psychological harm to transgender youth and may constitute discrimination rather than protection.
• Decisions about athletic eligibility are already handled by schools, athletic associations, and sports governing bodies, and a federal one-size-fits-all rule removes the flexibility those bodies use to weigh medical and scientific evidence.

Tradeoffs

The bill prioritizes protecting competitive opportunities for biological females as a group, but does so by excluding transgender girls from competition entirely, creating a tension between those two groups' participation rights and between federal uniformity and case-by-case institutional judgment.

Current status in Congress: Passed House.

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