Kentucky alumna and Olympic swimmer Riley Gaines didn’t hold back her criticism of President Joe Biden’s pledge to veto legislation that would ban biological males from competing in women’s sports.
Gaines said Biden’s veto threat showed he prioritized a “radical minority” over women across the country in an interview with Fox News Digital on Monday, just hours after the White House issued a statement criticizing the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, or H.R. 734.
Science, the truth, and common reason have been deemed irrelevant by the president. Gaines argued that President Biden’s opposition to the bill was an attempt to appease a radical minority at the expense of women, who make up 51 percent of the population.
“In our sports, issues of fairness, confidentiality, and safety shouldn’t be controversial. This should infuriate the women who campaigned for Title IX since it runs counter to their goals. Women’s athletics “deserve better,” she continued, “at all levels and in all sports.
The House of Representatives has not yet voted on H.R. 734, although it is likely to do so this week.
The White House issued a statement saying it “strongly opposes” the bill because it would “deny access to sports for many families by establishing an absolute ban on transgender students.”
In addition to being “discriminatory,” “unnecessary,” and “harmful to families and students,” the letter said that the bill would lead to “unjustified” racial segregation.
According to the proposed legislation, schools receiving federal Title IX funds cannot “permit a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designed for women or girls.”
It is stated in the bill that an athlete’s sex will be determined only by their “reproductive biology and genetics at birth.” The law would permit transsexual women to participate in a girls’ athletic program, but only provided no biological women were disadvantaged as a result.
The Democrats have already stated their intention to vote against the bill on the floor. The bill was adopted by the Senate Education and Workforce Commission by a vote of 25-17, with all Republicans in favor and all Democrats opposed.