# Plain Language Summary: Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2021

This bill requires schools that receive federal funding to prevent transgender girls and women from competing on sports teams that match their gender identity. Instead, the law would require these athletes to compete on teams based on the sex listed on their birth certificate or other official documents. The bill applies to all school sports programs, from elementary school through college, that get any federal money.

The practical effect is that transgender girls and women would be required to compete on boys' or men's teams, or potentially be excluded from sports altogether if schools don't offer alternative options. Supporters of the bill argue this protects fairness in women's sports by ensuring biological differences don't create competitive advantages. Opponents argue the bill discriminates against transgender students and that existing sports organizations already have policies addressing these concerns, making new federal rules unnecessary.

The bill would affect millions of students nationwide, particularly transgender youth in schools. It would also impact schools themselves, which would need to enforce these rules and could face complications around Title IX (the federal law requiring equal athletic opportunities for men and women). Schools that don't comply could lose federal funding. The bill has been controversial, with medical organizations, civil rights groups, and sports organizations divided on whether such restrictions are necessary or fair.

Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2021

Lee, Mike

Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2021 This bill makes it a violation of federal law for a recipient of federal funds who operates, sponsors, or facilitates athletic programs or activities to permit a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls. The bill specifies that sex shall be recognized based solely on a person's reproductive biology and genetics at birth.