Washington — The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a Republican measure banning transgender girls and women from competing on school sports teams that match their gender identity, after the party addressed the issue during its 2024 campaign.

The bill, known as the “Protecting Women and Girls in Sports Act,” would amend Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in schools, to require a person’s “sex” to be “based solely on reproductive biology and genetics.” based on one person”. Birth.” Schools that “allow a male person to participate in a sports program or activity intended for women or girls” risk losing federal funding.

It passed in the House of Representatives with 218 votes in favor, 206 against and one vote present. Two Texas Democrats — Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez — joined all Republicans in supporting the bill. Democratic Rep. Don Davis of North Carolina voted present.

“An overwhelming majority of Americans believe that men don’t belong in women’s sports and that we need to allow common sense,” Republican Rep. Greg Steube of Florida, who introduced the bill, said during debate before the vote.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 3% of high school students identify as transgender. Surveys in recent years have shown a lack of support for transgender athletes competing on sports teams consistent with their gender identity, and about half of states restrict the participation of transgender athletes.

Republicans in the House of Representatives passed the bill in 2023 without Democratic support. The Senate, which was controlled by Democrats at the time, did not take up this. House Republicans vowed to prioritize the issue again this year after GOP campaigns spent tens of millions of dollars last year on ads portraying the issue as a threat to girls and women in sports. A similar measure was reintroduced in the Republican-controlled Senate.

During the floor debate, Republicans argued that these athletes had biological advantages that were unfair and unsafe for other girls and women. Democrats who opposed the measure said it opens the door to intrusive genital exams on girls.

“We are already seeing examples of harassment and questioning of girls who may not fit stereotypical female roles,” said Democratic Rep. Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon.

However, there are a number of moderate Democrats who have expressed some concern about the issue, particularly after Democrats’ 2024 election defeats. One of those Democrats is Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, who voted against the ban on the 2023 vote but has since done so questioned his party’s messaging on transgender rights.

“Democrats spend far too much time trying not to offend anyone rather than being brutally honest about the challenges facing many Americans,” Moulton told the New York Times. “I have two little girls, I don’t want them to be run over on the field by a male or former male athlete, but as a Democrat I should be afraid to say that.”

Moulton voted against the measure passed Tuesday.