Former All-American swimmer from the University of Kentucky, Riley Gaines, expressed her strong reaction to President Joe Biden’s pledge to veto a bill aimed at prohibiting biological males from taking part in women’s sports.
During an interview with Fox News Digital on Monday, shortly after the White House issued a statement criticizing the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act (H.R. 734), Gaines argued that Biden’s commitment to vetoing the bill was proof that he was prioritizing a “radical minority” over women all over the nation.
“The President has declared that science, truth, and common sense no longer matter. In opposing this bill, President Biden is catering to a radical minority at the expense of women, who are 51% of the population,” Gaines told the news outlet.
“Equal opportunity, privacy, and safety in our sports shouldn’t be controversial. The women who once advocated for Title IX should be outraged as this goes against everything they fought for. Female athletes of all ages, levels, and sports deserve better,” she added.
Congress has yet to pass H.R. 734, but it is believed that it will be brought to a vote on the floor of the House at some point during this week.
In a statement, the White House said it “strongly opposes” the measure on the grounds that it would “deny access to sports for many families by establishing an absolute ban on transgender students.” The statement also said called the measure “discriminatory,” claimed such a law was “unnecessary,” and that it “hurts families and students.”
There is nothing in the language of the legislation that establishes a “ban on transgender students.” And if anything is “discriminatory,” it is allowing biological males to compete against biological females in sporting events.
As a provision of the bill, educational institutions receiving Title IX funding from the federal government would be prohibited from allowing “a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designed for women or girls.”
The bill specifies that an athlete’s sex would be determined solely by their “reproductive biology and genetics at birth.” While the legislation would permit transgender female athletes to practice or train in a girls’ athletic program, it would only be allowed if it doesn’t result in a biological female athlete losing a spot on the roster.
Naturally, nearly all House Democrats have said they will oppose the bill, despite the fact that their part literally fought for equality for women for decades.
