In a move that has sparked concern among Catholics and defenders of women’s athletics, Senate Democrats have blocked a Republican-led bill aimed at preserving fairness in women’s sports. The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025, introduced by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), sought to amend Title IX by clarifying that the term “sex” refers solely to “a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.”
The legislation, which required a three-fifths supermajority to advance, failed in the Senate despite securing majority support in a 51-45 vote. “Women and girls deserve their own sports and spaces,” said Kristen Waggoner, president of Alliance Defending Freedom, according to Catholic News Agency. “They deserve fairness and dignity, both on the playing field and in their locker rooms.”
This development follows President Donald Trump’s executive order on his first day in office, which mandates that K–12 schools and colleges allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports will lose federal funding. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) quickly responded by revising its rules to ensure only biological women compete in women’s competitions. Several Democratic-led states, however, have filed lawsuits challenging the order.
Catholics committed to the dignity of women and the integrity of sports should be deeply troubled by the Senate’s rejection of this legislation. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that “everyone, man and woman, should acknowledge and accept his sexual identity” (CCC 2333). By blocking this bill, the Senate has denied biological reality and undermined the principles of fairness that Title IX was originally created to uphold.
Bishops Robert Barron of Winona–Rochester, Minnesota, and David M. O’Connell of Trenton, New Jersey, who chair committees for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), have publicly endorsed Trump’s executive order. “We welcome the president’s executive order that protects opportunities for women and girls to compete in sports safely and fairly,” they stated, according to Catholic News Agency.
Meanwhile, progressive activists and groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have attempted to frame the legislation as an attack on transgender rights. “As anyone paying attention to the actions of the [President Donald] Trump administration can tell you, this bill is simply one part of a sweeping effort to push transgender people out of public life altogether,” said Mike Zamore, the ACLU’s national director of policy and government affairs, according to Catholic News Agency.
Faithful Catholics must recognize the dangers of such rhetoric, which seeks to override biological reality and dismiss the legitimate concerns of female athletes. The Church has always stood firm in its teachings on human nature and the dignity of both men and women. Allowing biological males to compete against females disregards God’s design and creates unjust disadvantages for women and girls.
In a world increasingly hostile to truth, Catholic voices must be raised in defense of reality, fairness, and the sanctity of God’s creation. As Waggoner rightly noted, “They deserve to know exactly who is voting against fairness, safety, and equal opportunity for female athletes.”
