<p>House Republicans on Thursday approved legislation that would bar transgender women and girls from participating in athletic programs designated for women, part of a nationwide push by conservatives to restrict transgender rights as they make culture issues a centerpiece of their political message.</p>.<p>The bill, approved entirely along party lines on a 219-203 vote, was the latest attempt by House Republicans to take up a potent social issue that has rallied their base and been championed at the state level by Republican lawmakers.</p>.<p>The bill has no chance of passing the Democratic-controlled Senate or being signed by President Joe Biden. In a statement of administration policy, the White House said Biden would veto it if it made its way to his desk. A national ban that does not take into account competitiveness or grade level “targets people for who they are and therefore is discriminatory,” the White House said.</p>.<p>Last month, House Republicans approved legislation that would mandate that schools make library catalogs and curricula public, and require parental consent before honoring a student’s request to change their gender-identifying pronouns.</p>.<p>Democrats argued that the legislation to bar transgender women from participating in women’s sports helped to fuel a hate campaign against transgender children, a vulnerable population with high rates of bullying, depression, anxiety and attempts at suicide.</p>.<p>And they criticised Republicans for harnessing a few examples from the ranks of elite sports of transgender women competing against and beating other women — examples, they argued, that have little to do with elementary and middle school students who simply want to be included in school activities.</p>.<p>“These bills tell some of the most vulnerable children in our country that they do not belong,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., whose daughter is transgender. She added, “Don’t use our kids as punching bags and put them in danger.”</p>.<p>Democrats also argued that enforcing such a bill would require invasive examinations.</p>.<p>“How do you verify a girl’s, quote, reproductive anatomy?” Jayapal said. “If a young girl, if your daughter doesn’t look feminine enough, is she subject to examination? This is absolutely absurd.”</p>.<p>About 1.3 million adults and 300,000 children in the United States identify as transgender. Twenty-one states have enacted laws to bar transgender athletes from participating in sports aligned with their gender identity, according to the Movement Advancement Project, a think tank that tracks LGBTQ laws.</p>
<p>House Republicans on Thursday approved legislation that would bar transgender women and girls from participating in athletic programs designated for women, part of a nationwide push by conservatives to restrict transgender rights as they make culture issues a centerpiece of their political message.</p>.<p>The bill, approved entirely along party lines on a 219-203 vote, was the latest attempt by House Republicans to take up a potent social issue that has rallied their base and been championed at the state level by Republican lawmakers.</p>.<p>The bill has no chance of passing the Democratic-controlled Senate or being signed by President Joe Biden. In a statement of administration policy, the White House said Biden would veto it if it made its way to his desk. A national ban that does not take into account competitiveness or grade level “targets people for who they are and therefore is discriminatory,” the White House said.</p>.<p>Last month, House Republicans approved legislation that would mandate that schools make library catalogs and curricula public, and require parental consent before honoring a student’s request to change their gender-identifying pronouns.</p>.<p>Democrats argued that the legislation to bar transgender women from participating in women’s sports helped to fuel a hate campaign against transgender children, a vulnerable population with high rates of bullying, depression, anxiety and attempts at suicide.</p>.<p>And they criticised Republicans for harnessing a few examples from the ranks of elite sports of transgender women competing against and beating other women — examples, they argued, that have little to do with elementary and middle school students who simply want to be included in school activities.</p>.<p>“These bills tell some of the most vulnerable children in our country that they do not belong,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., whose daughter is transgender. She added, “Don’t use our kids as punching bags and put them in danger.”</p>.<p>Democrats also argued that enforcing such a bill would require invasive examinations.</p>.<p>“How do you verify a girl’s, quote, reproductive anatomy?” Jayapal said. “If a young girl, if your daughter doesn’t look feminine enough, is she subject to examination? This is absolutely absurd.”</p>.<p>About 1.3 million adults and 300,000 children in the United States identify as transgender. Twenty-one states have enacted laws to bar transgender athletes from participating in sports aligned with their gender identity, according to the Movement Advancement Project, a think tank that tracks LGBTQ laws.</p>