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Texas Democrats Vicente Gonzalez and Henry Cuellar broke ranks with their party to vote alongside Republicans in favour of a bill that seeks to ban transgender women and girls from competing in women’s sports.

The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act passed the House on Tuesday (14 January) by a 218–206 vote. While most Republicans supported the legislation, only two Democrats joined them. Six Democrats and three Republicans abstained, and North Carolina Democrat Don Davis voted “present.”

The bill proposes an amendment to Title IX, the civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination, by barring schools receiving federal funding from permitting transgender women and girls to participate in sports or activities “designated for women or girls.” It defines sex strictly as “based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.”

In a statement defending his vote, Vicente Gonzalez said, “There should be rules to keep our sports fair and that boys should not play in girls’ sports.” He added, “Members of Congress must have the freedom to vote in a manner representative of their district. As Democrats, we should not be afraid to vote our district’s values because we’re afraid of Washington.”

Both Gonzalez and Cuellar have voiced opposition to transgender rights on previous occasions. Cuellar reportedly supported a Republican-led 2023 bill restricting abortion access and gender-affirming healthcare for transgender service members. Similarly, Gonzalez has taken a hard stance against taxpayer-funded gender-affirming care, saying during a 2024 campaign interview: “I have never supported tax dollars paying for gender transition surgeries and never will.”

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The passage of the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act has drawn criticism from many Democrats. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez condemned the legislation, accusing Republicans of exploiting women’s rights as a pretext to target transgender girls.

“Republicans who have consistently voted against the Violence Against Women Act, who have taken away the rights of all women to choose and have control over their own body… now want to pretend today that they care about women,” she said.

She further criticised the bill, adding, “Bigoted folks love this bill. Assaulters love this bill. But also, CEOs love this bill because Los Angeles is on fire right now, and this is the number one priority this majority has.”

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