McClellan Statement on Voting Against H.R. 28

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) issued the following statement after she voted against H.R. 28, the so-called “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act”:

“In one of their first bills of the 119th Congress, House Republicans renew their culture war attacks on the transgender community under the guise of protecting women and girls in sports. But when you pull back the curtain on H.R. 29 and think through its enforcement, serious questions arise on how far schools must go. In a blatant example of gender discrimination, the bill seeks to bar transgender girls and women from participating in women’s sports. In so doing, the bill poses a real and serious risk to girls as young as four years old by subjecting them to personal questions about their bodies. More disturbingly, the bill permits physical inspection of young girls’ genitals by adult strangers, without parents present. As a mother of an elementary student, I find that possibility appalling. No child or parent should have to worry that their privacy or even their very body can be violated at any time if they even consider participating in a sport.

“Instead of focusing on the issues that matter to the American people, House Republicans would rather capitalize on the concerning rise in transphobia and villainize a vulnerable, marginalized population. 

“Keeping sports safe and fair means letting children play without fear of being physically inspected by adults to verify their gender identity. Republicans should focus on putting people over politics, helping people, and solving the problems that are actually top of mind for the American people, not meddling in our children’s deeply personal and private matters in an effort to further stoke culture wars.”

H.R. 28 passed/failed on a vote of 218 Yays to 206 Nays to 1 Present. Read the full bill text here and a summary here.