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By James Brinsford
US Pop Culture & Sports Reporter
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The barring of transgender women and girls from participating in athletic programs for women has moved a step closer after the House of Representatives approved legislation on Thursday.
The bill was approved as members voted along party lines, leaving it 219 to 203 in support of banning transgender athletes from competing in women's competitions.
While it may not get past the Democratic-controlled Senate, with the White House saying that President Biden would veto the bill himself, the approval has divided the internet with many siding with the Republicans' push to restrict transgender rights.
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Representative Aaron Bean, a Republican of Florida, said when debating the bill: "We're in a battle for the very survival of women's sports. Not everybody has gone off the deep end."
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Representative John W. Rose, a Republican of Tennessee, argued that it was a straightforward issue, stating: "Biological males ought to compete against biological males, and biological females ought to compete against biological females. Most Tennesseans consider this to be common sense."
Democrats have described the bill as "insidious" and "hateful" and Representative Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat of Washington, whose daughter is transgender, said: "These bills tell some of the most vulnerable children in our country that they do not belong. Don't use our kids as punching bags and put them in danger."
In response to the vote, Tarah Demant, Amnesty International USA National Director for Programs, said in a statement: "This bill is part of a coordinated, vitriolic attack on the rights and lives of transgender youth and LGBTQI+ people across the country."
"The bill purports to protect the rights of women by restricting the rights of transgender students from playing on women's or girls' sports teams and seeking to amend federal law to redefine sex as being recognized solely on a person's reproductive biology and genetics at birth.
"Transgender women are women, and legislation that seeks to curtail their rights or erase them does not in any way protect cisgender women."
Demant concluded: "These bills are cruel efforts to stigmatize, marginalize, and even erase LGBTQI+ people, especially transgender people. Transgender rights are human rights, the United States must protect these rights at every level."
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Those commenting on social media felt that the legislation was required, with opposition seemingly drowned out by those who believe it's a positive move.
One person wrote on Instagram under a post that shared the news of the vote: "idk how people think this is wrong."
While another detailed why they thought the ban should be approved, commenting: "I know that there are a lot of allies p***** about this, but as an ally AND an athlete, this is probably better until we get more strict regulations figured out. Even if trans women have the required low levels of testosterone, going through male puberty at all gives them a MASSIVE advantage in muscle mass.
"Lia Thomas, a swimmer (like me) went from a very mediocre male swimmer to one of the top 3 female swimmers in the country. Unfortunately, being a woman swimming against men would've been more fair than what we got, even if it doesn't make much sense."
Another person said that they didn't agree with the ban and suggested a different way of measuring whether it was okay for transgender and women athletes to compete together.
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They wrote: "I disagree but i do understand where they are coming from because if a transgender woman who just transitioned from a man and she's like 6'4 like huge way bigger than all of the other women i don't think its very fair to the other women who are much smaller however there can be women who are not transgender that are just as big therefore i think that it should all be based on like weight and height rather than being transgender or not it should be like wrestling."
One person wrote that those commenting were stirring up a lot of ill-feeling: "Lotta transphobes in these comments."
Another argued that the reason for this was because the bill made "common sense."
They wrote in response: "Lotta ppl with common sense you mean it's nothing against transgender people do what you want if it isn't hurting anyone else, but people born biological men have a clear advantage in sports, women only got their own leagues a century ago why are you so keen to give away what they had to fight so hard to obtain?"
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