Florida Rep. Greg Steube on Tuesday praised a decision that essentially banned transgender swimmer Lia Thomas from the U.S. Olympic women’s swim team.
Thomas, a biological man who identified and competed as a woman while at the University of Pennsylvania, had challenged new rules spelled out by World Aquatics, the governing body of international swimming.
The group adopted the rules after Thomas ignited criticism after winning the NCAA title in 2022. The regulations specified that males who “transitioned” after puberty could not compete as transgender females, Breitbart noted. That requirement primarily banned Thomas and most transgender athletes from international competitions as well as the Olympics.
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World Aquatics argued that scientific data show men who transition after reaching puberty still retain natural advantages over women, including greater muscle structure, lung capacity, and stamina, Breitbart reported.
A lower court tossed Thomas’s legal challenge, saying he lacked standing to bring the case. A European court of arbitration over sports agreed.
In response, Steube, a Sarasota Republican, posted on X, “The good news is Lia Thomas won’t be taking a female athlete’s rightfully earned spot at this year’s Olympics.”
“However,” he added, “it’s more important than ever that Congress take legislative action to protect ALL female athletes competing for Team USA. Congress must pass my bill, The Protection of Women in Olympic and Amateur Sports Act to keep female sports female!”
As the Tampa Free Press reported in March, Steube’s one-page bill prohibits “a person whose sex is male from participating in an amateur athletic competition that is designated for females, women, or girls.”
At the time, the congressman argued the bill was needed because “the mainstream Democratic Party continues to push radical, anti-women policies at the expense of female athletes at every competition level.”
According to Congress.gov, the lawmaker’s bill passed its initial committee by a party-line vote and awaits action by the whole House.
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