Thune: Senate Will Vote to Protect Women and Girls’ Sports
“Women deserve their own athletic opportunities - opportunities that are not taken away from them by biological males, who have their own spaces in which to compete.”
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WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:
Thune’s remarks below (as delivered):
“Mr. President, most Americans are familiar with Title IX.
“That was the landmark legislation designed to create equal spaces and opportunities in education for women.
“Title IX is particularly notable for the effect it’s had on women’s sports.
“With its requirement that federal funding recipients create equal athletic opportunities for women and girls, Title IX paved the way for the women’s athletic programs we see today at colleges and universities – and high schools – around the country.
“But now the gains that have been made through Title IX are under attack.
“Around the country, we have seen men, biological men who identify as women, take up spaces – and medals – in athletics meant for actual women.
“Swimming. Track. Volleyball. Soccer. Basketball.
“This is happening across a range of sports.
“And Mr. President, the problems here are obvious.
“First of all, there is the physical danger that can be posed by men participating in women’s sports.
“But this is about much more than any physical danger.
“This is a matter of fairness and equality.
“Title IX, as I said, was created to give women opportunities and spaces that had been denied them – to give women the same opportunities that men enjoy.
“That’s not possible when men are involved in women’s sports.
“Biologically, men possess physical advantages when it comes to sports – things like greater muscle mass and greater aerobic power – which means that, by and large, men are likely to dominate in women’s sports, taking wins and medal opportunities away from women.
“And this isn’t hypothetical, Mr. President.
“This is actually happening.
“Let me quote from an August 2024 United Nations report on violence against women and girls, which addresses the participation of men in women’s sports.
“And I quote: ‘Policies implemented by international federations and national governing bodies, along with national legislation in some countries, allow males who identify as women to compete in female sports categories. In other cases, this practice is not explicitly prohibited and is thus tolerated in practice. The replacement of the female sports category with a mixed-sex category has resulted in an increasing number of female athletes losing opportunities, including medals, when competing against males. According to information received, by 30 March 2024, over [600] female athletes in more than 400 competitions have lost more than 890 medals in 29 different sports.’
“Let me just repeat that, Mr. President.
“‘According to information received, by 30 March 2024, over 600 female athletes in more than 400 competitions have lost more than 890 medals in 29 different sports.’
“Now that, as I said, is from a United Nations report.
“This isn’t some myth conservatives that have dreamed up.
“This is happening.
“Mr. President, I could go down a list of examples here in the United States – the female runner who did not qualify for the women’s 55-meter final at the state championship because a biological male identifying as a woman qualified in her place.
“Another female runner who resigned herself to second place at best because, as she said, she knew there would be no winning against the biological male who finished a full minute and 22 seconds ahead of the second-place, female finisher.
“The male pole vaulter who won the women’s competition with a vault that exceeded that of the second-place, female finishers by six inches.
“The women’s basketball team that saw nearly half of its season’s points scored by a male.
“And that’s just a sampling of the stories that are out there.
“And of course, Mr. President, the female athletes in question aren’t just being robbed of their potential places on the winner’s podium – they’re also being robbed of the opportunities that might be associated with that place.
“Things like college scholarships.
“As one female runner who was robbed of multiple wins by a biological male described the situation, and I quote, ‘It robs girls of the chance to race in front of college scouts who show up for elite meets, and to compete for the scholarships and opportunities that come with college recruitment. I’ll never know how my own college recruitment was impacted by losing those four state championship titles to a male. When colleges looked at my record, they didn’t see the fastest girl in Connecticut. They saw a second- or third-place runner.’
“Mr. President, this isn’t fair.
“Girls should not be having to compete in races that are stacked against them.
“Women deserve their own athletic opportunities – opportunities that are not taken away from them by biological males, who have their own spaces in which to compete.
“They deserve a level playing field.
“And, Mr. President, this is not a niche position.
“A 2025 New York Times poll found that 79 percent of Americans – including, I might add, a majority of Democrats – believe that biological males identifying as women should not be allowed to play women’s sports.
“And that’s not the only poll that’s found that a huge majority of Americans believe that women’s sports should be for actual women.
“Mr. President, at the beginning of February, President Trump took action to protect the original meaning of Title IX and ensure that federal funding would not go to schools that allow men to compete as women.
“As the father of two former female athletes, I am grateful for his commitment to upholding fairness and common sense.
“Mr. President, my dad, who was a Division I athlete, came back to my home town to coach women’s sports: girls’ basketball, girls’ track.
“It would have been incomprehensible to him to think biological boys would be competing against his female athletes.
“But, Mr. President, unfortunately there is no guarantee that the next president is going to uphold President Trump’s measure.
“And so today we will consider legislation from my colleague Senator Tuberville – a former high school girls’ basketball coach – to permanently reinstate the original intent of Title IX and ensure that women, and women only, participate in women’s sports at federally funded educational institutions.
“Now, Mr. President, I’d love to think that we would easily pass this legislation – that Democrats and Republicans would unite and stand with the vast majority of Americans to protect opportunities for women.
“But given that every single Democrat voted to block this bill last Congress, I have to say I’m concerned about today’s outcome.
“So this will be a time of choosing for Democrats.
“They can stand with women, or they can stand with a radical transgender ideology that would see women and their opportunities sacrificed to make way for biological males.
“Democrats can’t have it both ways, Mr. President.
“It’s either one, or the other.
“I had a finance professor in graduate school, he used to say that some things are just intuitively obvious.
“Well, this, Mr. President, is one of those things.
“And if the Democrats vote to oppose this legislation, they’ll have to answer to the women and girls they vote to disenfranchise.
“I hope Democrats will join Republicans to protect women and women’s sports and vote to proceed to the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act.”
Related Issues: Education, Title IX
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