ACLU Condemns House Vote on Federal Ban on Transgender Student Athletes

WASHINGTON – Amid a national wave of state bills targeting the safety, dignity, and equality of transgender people, the United States House of Representatives just passed H.R. 734, a bill that would deny transgender girls nationwide equal and fair participation in student athletics.

“Today’s vote was a cynical attack against some of the most vulnerable youth in our country,” said Deirdre Schifeling, national political director for the American Civil Liberties Union. “Why are Republicans in Congress spending their time bullying children? This is not what voters elected them to do. Instead of governing responsibly, solving the debt limit, and passing legislation that the American people actually want and need, this House majority is legislating discrimination and hate towards school children. We expect and deserve better from our elected leadership. The ACLU will fight for the rights of all people to be included in our society.”

Thus far in 2023, over 450 bills attacking the rights of transgender people have been introduced in state legislatures nationwide.

The ACLU and its nationwide affiliate network are challenging bans on transgender student-athletes in Idaho, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court rejected an effort by West Virginia to enforce its ban against a 12-year-old transgender girl. Last December, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals found a Connecticut state athletic policy inclusive of transgender girls took nothing away from the participation of cisgender girls.