Transcripts For CSPAN2 Riley 20240705

Now more than ever it all starts with great internet. Wow supports cspan is a Public Service along with these other Television Providers giving your pharmacy to democracy. Former collegiate swimmer riley gaines and others testified before House Oversight subcommittee on proposed changes to the definition of sexual discrimination that would include gender identity. This is about three hours. [inaudible conversations] the hearing on subcommittee on health care and Financial Services will come to order. Welcome everyone it without objection that you may declare a recess at any time. I mechanize myself for the purpose of making an opening statement. Wait. One second. Oh, were missing a witness. We are missing a witness. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] im sorry about that. I recognize myself for the purpose of making an opening statement. Quite simply, men do not belong in womens sports. Let me say it one more time. Men do not belong in womens sports. The simple fact is that, that this needs to be said out loud is really kind of a sad reflection of where the other side is on this issue. There should be no debate about this. However, we are here today because the Biden Administratin is choosing to ignore the truth, and i might add, the science. The truth is that by allowing biological males to compete in womens sports is fundamentally unfair. It is also unsafe. Scientific evidence, and i will say that again, Scientific Evidence affirms that biological males and females have unchangeable physiological differences, attributed to their sex. Some of these differences benefit male athletes are for example, males typically have greater muscle mass, long muscle mass, lung capacity and bone density than females. All of these characteristics give males a competitive advantage over females. This is why women should compete against women, and men should not compete against them. That iss what title ix was designed to protect, by allowing biological males to compete in womens sports we are placing our daughters in danger every time they step on to the field. This hearing is about protecting women, period, thats it. Im standing up for the rights of women, children, my daughter, your daughter, our granddaughters. Im frustrated as they continue to that female athletes who are injured by biological males compete in womens sports. I am a mother. I have two daughters, and any parent will tell you that the most sacrednt responsibility iso protect their children, and thats what im trying to do, and thats with this hearing is about. Thats why today is about protecting our daughters, our nieces and a granddaughters. Its time for us to get off the sideline in actually stand up for them. Unfortunately, the Biden Administration has shown that its putting leftist policy before women and girls. In a fraudulent effort to be inclusive, the Biden Administration is sacrificing the quality. Instead of defending the hardfought protections that title ix secured. Think of how long we fought for title ix, for equality for women. The Biden Administration has proposed two rules that would drastically alter title ix. The Biden Administration proposed rule redefines sex to include gender identity, and expands titleti ix protections o biological males. Protections that we created and implemented for women and girls. If the Biden Administration is successful it will mean that more women will lose out on academic and athletic opportunities that shouldve been afforded to them under title ix. Again, the whole reason we put together title ix. Last year we celebrated the 50th anniversary of title minds in accurate. For the last 50 years weve seen title ix success in securing equality for women across the country we cannot allow this administration to dismantle the rights and protections that women fought so hard to achieve. We must protect women and girls and i encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stay centered on this issue throughout the hearing. To our panel, thank you, thank you, thank you, for being here today before the subcommittee. Im looking forward to having, dividing this very important discussion with you. And i now recognize the Ranking Member, ms. Lee, for your opening statement. Ms. Lee. Thank you, madam chair. Its disappointing me that although the title of this hearing implies a muchneeded discussion will likely going to be forced to listen to transphobic bigotry. Because actually protecting female athletes in title ix is important. Participating in sports provides so many benefits to our young people. Those benefits range from improve mental and physical to enrich life skills such as teamwork and goal setting. In terms of Mental Health, youth sports as those with low rates of anxiety andat depression to lower amounts off stress, higher selfesteem and confidence and reduce risks of suicide. So what are my republican colleagues working so hard to prevent our trains view from children according to the Human Rights Campaign in just the first 143 days of 2020, elected officials across the nation introduced more than 520 and t lgbt i paid bills and state legislature with three states banned trenches from the disparity in School Sports consistent with the gender identity with some loss focusing on kids as young as kindergarten. How competitive is kindergarten . You all are working so hard at excluding and demonizing a bunch of kids. I think its important that we raise theer voices of transgendered athletes, their families and team its been i would like to read a few of their stories written in the first person. The first from cc, professional track athlete model and advocate. I was a former d two National Chip in and a 400 m hurdles. I amth not a professional athlee training to make it on the team usa and represents the end the following olympics to come. Sports is give me a plethora things but mainly sports has given me strength, taught how to overcome fear in stand up when defeated. E sports is given the collaborative skills that was developed throughout the jeers of being an athlete and having teammates. Sports top had to stay focused and committed along with the necessary skills the sports has taught me and giving the clarity and freedom. Transgendered women and girls, transgender people are not afraid. We do play sports to cheat. We deserve the right as any of the women because thats what we are. There are rules and regulations that define our ability to compete. The narrative that builds on myself and trans kids in thegh community of negative and its dehumanizing. Its as though people to want us to exist in order to change the muted because we do exist and were not going to stop existing we need to stop these antitrans bills. Your dehumanizing and kids are dying. I believe the governor should step up inil smoke trans peoplen all levels to show that we are seen and uprights at a a people just like everybody else. From ember, transgender female High School Softball player. When i was younger i played coed baseball. I loved it. When the teams became singlesex i no longer fit in. I was teased and ostracize those the most difficult part was not feeling like myself so i quit. I came out as trans in seventh grade i wanted to play softball but i still requires trans girls to take hormones for a few before play sport. So waited for three years. During the time i became selfconscious, and comfortable with my body and lost all of my conference. I was diagnosed with depression and excited. I was finally approved to play tron a girls team in the springf my soft to her year of high school. Playing on a girls team has been an incredible experience for me. I had made many friends and improved so much despite starting to live. My teammates treat me like a anyone else on the team. So do my coaches. My team iss part of my family. We are also different and come from different clicks but when were together on the field we are there for each other no matter what. Every kid should be lucky enough to have this experience. From Debbie Jackson a parent of a nonbinary teenager teenager. My child is 15. She doesnt even remember what its like to be viewed as a boy. We affirm to the art at the young age and supported social transition. During that time avery was in coed trampling class at a local gym. The gymnastics classes at the gym were divided by gender and as we begin referring to avery as her daughter avery asked to move into gymnastics. It was a religious step toward being a firm and accepted authentically. To this to some of my favorite photos and videos from the first day of the class when avery march so confidant to the mat with a barely boyish haircut next to a gaggle of articles with the bouncy put majestic avery enthusiastically followed every word of the coach. Trying forward, roles and falling of the balance beam with every step. Literally every step. Avery was a a most gloriously awkward nonathletic reach a height of the witness. I twoco avery is still a a gloriously awkward nonathletic creature who will never win in any athletic endeavor. Our her purchasing a sport ist about winning. Laying sports helps with Mental Health, teaches teamwork and dprovides camaraderie with othes and teaches discipline and goal setting. It open source ofav friendship Connection Committee with others. Thats what much of experience in that gymnastics class and other trans kids deserve to experience all of those benefits. I am so thankful avery didnt have to choose between not participate in sports or being forced to participate as a boy. Forcing a transgendered child to choose between living and authentic life and play a game is cruel. Think about how we feel that your body openly discussed by others have the fairness of your existence of basic rights debat in public for. Thats what you are doing to in the st. Kitts. Please leave our kids alone. They deserve so much better from people and power. I want to thank these people for sharing their stories and reminded us that this is about children and daughters and sons and siblings and friends. These are real people with real experience of the deserve to feel loved and included i was asking in this consent to enter these letters to the committee for Transgender Athletes provided by the National Center for Transgender Equality. Without objection, so ordered. Thank you. Sports are a vital aspect of education that offer support and lessons. Athletics a large and people engage in Healthy Movement and play, learn how to work as a team and form connection. Tried to ask why we sit through this hearing and to the hateful misinformation i am sure is going to come our way, let us not forget that children are at the core ofto this issue. I yield back. Thank you, ms. Lee. I will now recognize our witnesses for today. Ms. Riley gaines is a former collegiate athletes for theof university of kentucky, and now serves as an ambassador for the independent womens voice. Welcome. Ms. Sarah perry is a senior legal fellow in the edwin meese iii center for legal and judicial studies at the Heritage Foundation. She is also a former senior counsel to the assistant secretary for civil rights at the u. S. Department of education. Ms. Kim russell is a former head womens lacrosse coach at heOberlin College, and now servs as an ambassador for the independent womens forum. And finally ms. Goss graves is a president ceo of the National Womens law center. Welcome and thank you again for all being here. Pursuant to the Committee Rule 19 witnesses please stand and raise the right hands. [witnesses were sworn in] let the record show that the witnesses answered in the affirmative. Thank you. You may allll take a seat. So again, i now recognize myself the witnesses, excuse me i now recognize the witnesses for an opening statement. Let me remind the witnesses we have read your written statements and you will have it appear in full inherent record. Please limit or oral statements to five minutes. As reminder please press the button on there michael foot in front of youop so that it is on. Andn as the members can heal. You will begin to speak of the light in front will turn green. After four minutes the light will turn yellow, then the red light will come on, or five minutes is expired and we would ask you to please wrap up. I now recognize ms. Gaines for opening statement. Thank you. After four minutes, the light will turn yellow and then the red light will turn on. Your five minutes are expired and we will ask you to please wrap up. I now recognize ms. Gaines for her opening statement. Thank you. My name is riley gaines and i am asking ambassador brenda womens voices i am here to urge you to protect womens sports and uphold the original intent of title ix. My story is well known. I was a student at the university of kentucky where i was also member of the womens swim team, finishing my collegiate career as an all american, a fivetime s. E. C. Champion, still the s. E. C. Recordholder in the 200 butterfly, make me one of the fastest americans of all time. In march 2020, female swimmers from around the country and i were forced to compete at ncaas against formerly thomas. We watched as this male swim through Womens National title, beating out the most impressive and accomplished female swimmers in the nation including olympians and american record holders. Despite tying with the 200 freestyle, i was denied the trophy because the ncaa claimed it was necessary for thomas to hold the trophy and photos were being taken. It was clear to me, my teammates and my competitors that they had reduced everything we had work our entire lives for, down to a photo op to validate the feelings and the identity of a male. That is not all. In addition to losing out on opportunities to thomas, we also had to share a locker room and change in front of the 64, fully intact naked male. As i have testified previously, we were not forewarned of this arrangement and we were not asked for our consent and we did not give our consent to this exposure and to be exploited. Unfortunately, thomas was not a oneoff. Across the country and in various sports, males are entering womens the competitions, being given spots and womens teams and being granted entry to our locker rooms. There are numerous documented incidences of males not competing in swimming but womens crosscountry, field hockey and other sports at all levels of competition. This issue is incredibly underreported for various reasons but common sense americans know that intuitively, this is not fair to women. Science supports that instinct. Studies consistently show males have a 12 athletic advantage over females. This gap is evident in almost every sport at every level of competition. Yes, hormone therapy can narrow this gap but it cannot close it and studies consistently demonstrate that surgery and testosterone suppression do not suppress to female levels. Take thomas for example. He was mediocre against the men at best, ranking 400 and 500 nationally and in dominating all of the women in the entire country by body lengths in a matter of a year. Not only do women have to worry about losing opportunities and being exploited in locker rooms, allowing men into womens sports puts girls at greater risk of injury. In september of last year, North Carolina High School Volleyball player suffered serious injury after a trans identified male player spiked able to her head, rendering her unconscious. Patent experienced extensive trauma in her head and neck and longterm concussion symptoms. Still to this day, a year and three months later, she is still partially paralyzed on her right side. Vision is impaired. Memory is impaired and she is not playing College Sports like she dreamed of for herself. Just a few weeks ago in massachusetts, a male player on the field hockey womens team injured an opposing player with a shot to the face, sending the female athlete to a hospital with significant facial and dental injuries. Injuries can and do happen when females are playing against other females but allowing them to play womens sports increases the likelihood of the severity of such injuries. That is one of the reasons why, for 50 years, federal title ix regulations have allowed schools to offer separate teams for women and men when the sports or Contact Sports or involve competitive skill. In april 2023, the department of education proposed a rule that would reverse this assumption. Under the proposed rule, womens sports are not just for women. They are for anyone who simply says they are a woman. Unless a particular school can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the department of education and keeping a particular team female meets important educational objectives. The new rule mandates that every school in the country must demonstrate the unfairness of male participation on each specific womens team that they offer undeveloped rules that minimize harm to trans identified athletes. What about the harm to us . Who is working to minimize the harm done to female athletes . Let me be perfectly clear. A school unknowingly allows a male athlete to take a spot on a womens timor allows a male athlete to take a field and womens game is denying the female Student Athletic opportunity and that is sex based discrimination and it violates title ix regardless of what the new regulations might say. It is my sincere hope that members of this committee will take action to stop the Biden Administrations illegal and administrative rewrite of title ix. Of course, there is a place for everyone, regardless of gender identity, regardless of Sexual Orientation. Regardless of race or what sports you play. Unsafe, unfair and discriminatory practices against women must stop. Inclusion cannot be prioritized over safety and fairness and my testimony makes if my testimony makes me transphobic then you are a misogynist. Thank you. I now recognized the opening statement. Good afternoon. My name is sarah perry and i am a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation. As a former varsity athlete, the mother of the girls varsity athlete and senior counsel for civil rights, the department of education i have, as the saying goes excuse me. Moved to have the gentleman words taken down. The committee will suspend. Madam chair, she is engaging in personality. Can i just ask, how it is fair to be called transphobic . I would say men describing themselves as women are engaging in personality hang on. Order, order. Lets get a ruling. Will ruling. Moved to withdraw the point of order. Thank you. I know recognize ms. Perry for her opening statements. You can start over. Thank you. Chairwoman mclean, Ranking Member lee and distinguished members of the subcommittee, my name is sarah perry and im a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation. Is a former varsity athlete and the mother of a girls varsity athlete and former senior counsel for civil rights at department of education, i have, as the saying goes, skin in the game. What we are discussing today is an athletics scandal, a fraud of unprecedented proportions perpetrated by the federal government on american students. It turns obvious distinctions between the sexes into nothing more than the myth of a bygone era while expecting female athletes to simply look the other way. In education, one law should stand against sex discrimination as it has for the 50 years since its inception and the Department Rulemaking on title ix were forced to provide with participation of men mac in womens sports, rendering the sex discrimination of old, new again. Title ix made possible opportunities for women historically excluded from Higher Education, athletics, graduate schools, scholarships and more. Because of the law, the rate of participation in High School Athletic says now 1000 higher. Girls now constitute over 56 of American College students and 42 of High School Athletes and 94 of female executives play scholastic sports. Title ix was the crowning achievement of the feminist movement. Its origins incontrovertibly in womens liberation, spurred by statements made by the judge famously who proclaimed in 1971, Athletic Competition builds character in our boys. We dont need that kind of character in our girls. Yet, by threatening the title ixs guarantee of equality, the department is on the cusp of perpetuating just this type of regressive thinking. There were two rules that issue the letter for which criteria for athletics between athletic interests of women and transgender identified men, the department has called the rule a compromise but a compromise it most definitely is not. Instead, it is a self refuting tangle of considerations, a bureaucratic nightmare for any educational institutions to which it applies. It does not clarify title ixs sex based criteria in sports, it complicates it. Departs from decades of title ix allocation to athletics, obscures the plaintext of the longstanding athletic regulation with a vague terms, unworkable standard and the guaranteed conflict with the contrary laws of 23 states. It balances the equity against women and girls who are at the heart of title ixs passage and impressively does all of this while violating constitutional civil rights and administrative law. There is a reason to argue that the Department Even lacks the authority to promulgate an athletic regulation in the first place. Then, there is the rule to acknowledge obvious sex based advantages to sports. Males might have greater lung capacity, larger hearts, more bone density, more muscle mass. They jump higher, throw further, run faster and punch harder than females and this emerges as early as the age of 12 when males mac experience a 20 fold boost in testosterone. Title ix contains a set of limited sex affirmative exceptions, allowing them to take sex into account and a sex binary, male versus female was the Foundation Upon which the entire statute rests. Its use of the word both and either reinforces this long standing. Even if the supreme courts determination sex, discrimination in employment, also includes discrimination based on Sexual Orientation and transgender status. It does nothing to change that, nor does it intend to. One biological boys are deliberately classified as girls, the feminist gains of the past 50 years are eviscerated. What cannot be achieved by cross sex hormones, it deserves to continue protection of title ix. I urge this chamber not to align the clock on womens progress but rather holdfast to the principles of equality. The future of womens sports depends on it. If a self declaration of womanhood and hormones are sufficient to open womens sports to men, what was the point of the Womens Liberation Movement . I welcome your questions. Thank you. The chair now rerecognizes ms. Russell for her opening statements. Thank you all for being here. I am an ambassador for the independent womens forum. Why am i here . I am 56 years old. I am an athlete, a coach, a mother and a teacher. A longtime advocate for women and girls. This has been my life and my passion. I played two sports but it never would have been possible without title ix. I have been on for over 27 years. I am in three halls of fame for coaching and contributed to the growth of lacrosse and there is actually an award in my name. Oberlin college remove me from coaching and offered me an administrative position after i chose to publicly tell my story and refused to be silenced or backed down about my belief that men, no matter how they self identify, should not be allowed to compete in womens sports. I joined Oberlin College in 2018 is the head womens lacrosse coach and a wellness instructor. I have always been pro woman, then and now. Over the course of my coaching career, i have been a mentor to many women and girls, sharing advice both on and off the field. I athletes, including several who identify as transgender, have always known they can come to me, to laugh, to cry or a meeting between. I have been nicknamed the hippie love coach. Not only because i am a yoga instructor, i am usually barefoot. I read energy and coach intuitively but because i have given countless individuals a safe space to thrive and feel a sense of belonging. In march 2022, i had been following the story of lia thomas and kept thinking someone would speak up. Could biological males be allowed to compete with women regardless of hormone blocking routine . I was flabbergasted that coaches, parents, administrators and athletes were okay with this. After thomas won , i reposted an incident, personal story that said congratulations to emma lance, the real woman who won the ncaa trial. I added my own short commentary. What do you believe . I cant cry about it. I spent my entire life playing for, coaching, and starting programs for mens and women. It turns out, more controversial than i could ever have imagined. Based on this simple post i was called trans phobic and unsafe. I was told to write letters of apology to my team and the effort it department because of the unrest and disruption i had caused. I cannot apologize for something that i am not sorry for. I would not and will not apologize for saying a biological male does not belong in womens sports and private spaces. As an athlete and coach for nearly my entire life, i am personally familiar with the distinct differences between male and female athletes. I gave birth to four kids. I ran the sidelines nursing a child while i coach in the state champions and i have had another child on my back at gametime. After i refused to apologize, i was called in for a meeting of my team with the mediator present. Handful of the studentathletes on my team attacked and vilified me as if i were the enemy and had just killed someone. A week later, there was another meeting with my team and three College Administrators for one hour and 42 minutes. The same athletes who i had treated like my own kids bashed me over and over again in front of the administrators simply for having a pro woman perspective that was different from theirs. I had to stay quiet and repeat back everything they said and confirm that i had heard their concerns. At the end of the meeting, i was given a chance to respond. I knew whatever i said would land on deaf ears. I was called into the office after the season ended and handed a letter. At the bottom, it is i asked overton to provide you with ayo written letter of whati done wrong and how we could improve my behavior but was never provided any clarity. When i arrived at oberlin in 2018, ike was so excited to be a part of the community that celebrates free spirit, openminded dialogue, freedom of speech and freedom off expression. Im a hippie love coach. I thought is was so. But oberlin like many higher institutions only seem to support the First Amendment if your values align with theirs. Most people have chosen to stay silent in this topic because of the consequences being too great. Great. Loss of job, reputation, threats or family, you name it. I am here in part to speak for them. I will never apologize for believing that women and girls should have the right to singlesex competition, are right for which women before me by tirelessly. Hoping my speaking up will give others the couragerl to do the same. I am here hoping to ensure that you understand the ramifications of the Biden Administrations propose regulations and that you each do you jump to ensure that the original meaning of title ix is upheld. It was passed when i was five. I have reaped the benefits and my wifes Journey Continues to be massively impacted. The Biden Administration is trying to effectively change the meaning in language of title ix. If allowed, this will endanger women in sports and private spaces come take with opportunities for women in sports and academia. Never in 1 million years did i think i would be sitting here at 56 fighting to get back the rights of a given to women and girls 51 years ago. Since march 2022, many more biological males have invaded womens and girls sports. There have been lifechanging injuries, opportunities lost, and privacy has been a faded. We are harming women and girls. You have the opportunity to be heroes. This is a upholding truth, protecting the drinks a phenyl athletes, original meaning of title ix. Thank you ms. Russell. The chair next recognizes ms. Goss graves. Thank you, maam. Thank you, chairwoman mcclain, Ranking Member lee, and members of the subcommittee for the opportunity to testify today. My name is fatima goss graves and im presidency of the National Womens law center. The National Womens law center was sounded the same year that title ix was passed, and is worked to remove barriers for women and girls throughout the course of their lives, throughout our founding. And since ive had the great honor to engage in this critical work including as an advocate for women and girls in school and in sports, in fact, my first title ix matter was more than 15 years ago where we worked to successfully secure equal facilities for girls in a School District in maryland. And over the last 50 years, title ix has dramatic advance women and girls participation in School Sports. High school girls have 3 million more opportunities to play today than they did before title ix. And 44 of ncaa athletes today are no women, compared to only 15 before title ix. But significant barriers to gender equity in sports persist. Women and girls have over 1 million fewerco opportunitieso play in high school than boys. Some schools still treated girls and women steams as afterthoughtsui, complaints of uniform and equipment that are essentially secondclass. They are not afforded the same level of publicity to showcase their many talents. And women in professional sports consistently complained about gender bias in pay. And we have all learned of case after case of sexual abuse against student athletes, which schools overlook thehe deplorabe conduct by coaches and athletic trainers and school doctors. These barriers to gender equity in sports are well documented, and they are pervasive. Yet, none of that is the subject of the hearing today. Todayes is really about attackig and dehumanizing transgender people, and especially trans women and girls. Even though trans youthg are nt responsible for any of the problems in sports that i have named, and still we have seen at least 24 states who have been racing to move to ban trans students from womens and girls sports teams falsely claiming they are protecting womens sports. Thats just not true. We know from Data Collected from between 20082019 that including transit athletes correlates with increased participation by all girls. In contrast, girls overall participation in high School Sports declined in statesds that enacted trans exclusionary policy. So let me put it really plainly. Excluding women and girls who are trans parts all women and girls. The irony is this debate about including trans women and girls in sports should suffer tremendous track the evolution of title ixg over the last five decades. Because sex is stereotype . Femininity with being slower in weaker and likely unathletic. Athletes come in all shapes and sizes and rigid enforcement of the women is dangerous and encourages further discrimination advice the sort of gender policing that could subject any woman to accusations of being too masculine or two good or not are real in the form to participate. The reality is that like their peers, trans girls and women sometimes lose at sports and sometimes they win. And success in School Sports depends on a whole range of factors, including how hard you work and coaching at access to look good resources and facilities. And trans students participatees in sports for the same reason as their kids, because it is fun. Because it creates belonging in community. Because a teacher so much about persistence and leadership and discipline, and learn to lose gracefully hopefully. Often they learn to win with dignity, hopefully. They learn to do this sort of work that means you have higher grades and stay connected to school. I want every kid to have that chance, to have the chance to play. So i feel compelled to just and my testament with a few ideas for the committee to pursue Everyone Wants to work on this issue. They could make it safer steams athletes to report harassment and sexual misconduct. We could address resource disparities in sports. We could protect access to healthcare including gender affirming of Reproductive Health care pay for motion to do with the caregiving crisis in this country. All of that could be your agenda. Thank you for having me today. Thankad you, ms. Goss graves. I would just like remind everybody that title of the hearing, since it is my hearing, and the title of the hearing is the importance of protecting email athletes in title ix. I am for protecting women. We fought very, very long and hard to protect women here so i just want to be clear, thats not a hidden agenda. It is actually to protect women in womens sports. So sensibly i just wanted to clarify, that is my agenda. Womens sports. Since it is my hearing, i just wanted to clarify. That is my agenda. Without objection, representative jordan of ohio, representative sessions of texas, representative green of georgia, representative obert the purpose of questioning the witnesses in todays hearing. I asked anonymous consent to enter our statements into the statement. Revision of title ix sales regulatory civil rights analysis, a second legal memorandum titled once more with feeling from the department of education released. Second title ix will. A report titled competition, title ix, male body athletes in the threat to limit words. Exclusive sleeping with was identify as trans without prior notification. Without objection, so ordered. E for the record submitted by the ncaa on december 4, 2023 without objection, so ordered. The chair now recognizes thank you, madam chair holding this hearing, protecting female sports and title ix. As a kentuckian, when i think about great kentucky female athletes, our witness, riley gaines is the first thing that pops out. On behalf of every great Kentucky Wildcat fan, we think you for how well you represented kentucky on the National Level and for your advocacy today in being a leading voice of protecting women sports. I would not have been able to achieve what i achieve without title ix, without the women sporting category. Has developed me as the leader that i am today. It has given me the confidence to stand before the committee and to stand firm in my belief that men should not be playing in womens sports. I know we had a witness that suggested that because you worked so hard all your life to be the best you were the best in female swimming. There is no question about that. To have to lose or share a title with a biological male, we had a witness on the panel suggest you should have just lost gracefully. I think that is a slap in the face to any athlete who worked so hard. I was a below mediocre basketball player. I cant imagine the work that you put in or that any great athlete puts in. I dont think you should lose gracefully. I think you should do exactly what you have been doing. You are a class act. You have been a leader. Many of us on this side of the aisle have heard your story many times and we respect what you are doing and we stand with you. I appreciate that a whole lot. Just for the record, i have certainly lost gracefully many times in my career, even speaking to thomas and i at the national championships. We tied for fifth in the entire nation. It is an incredible achievement but there were four women who beat me and im incredibly proud of those women who beat me. I certainly can and have lost gracefully many times in my career. I lose a lot gracefully on the golf course. If the Biden Administration successfully redefined title ix to include gender identity, are you concerned that young women will miss out on academic opportunities that would be afforded to them . Absolutely. Not only would biological males be able to take the positions away from females, that includes scholarship money at different levels. It includes awards at different levels. It includes il money. It is not just a one off. There are many different levels. Madam chair, before i yield back, i just want to thank our witnesses who are advocating for female sports and title ix. It is a great hearing and we look forward to working with you as a majority to protect womens sports and title ix moving forward. With that, i yield back. Thank you. The chair now recognizes mr. Lee from pennsylvania for five minutes. Thank you. I must say, i am surprised to hear that my republican colleagues care so much about the privacy and opportunities of women. A report released last year in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of title ix found that mens athletic programs had more than twice as many resources as womens programs in 2020 and that expenditure for recruiting and compensating coaches favored male athletes. The 2024 appropriations bill did nothing to expand access to women in sports. It did contain a writer to prevent proposed department of education rules relating to Transgender Athletes ability to participate. To your knowledge, do any of the bans increase funding for women sports . They do not. To any of these bands increase the number of womens teams . Absolutely not. Do they provide resources to expand recreational opportunities for low income female athletes . No. This Committee Reports to care about the safety of women, in 2021, when the house voted to reauthorize the violence against women act, 80 of the Republican Caucus voted against that law. Not a single republican member of this committee, nor our current speaker voted for it. That bill included a provision to close the boyfriend loophole. Currently, people convicted of Domestic Violence against a spouse cannot get a firearm but nothing prevents a boyfriend from getting one. Is there any evidence that allowing Transgender Athletes to participate in sports create a safety concern for women . Absolutely not. Because my colleagues also claim to be concerned about womens privacy and opportunity, lets also discuss the Womens Health protection act which passed in the house last year. It would protect and expand access to abortion care. Not a single republican voted for this. The right to abortion is rooted in the right to privacy and resources reportedly have shown that abortion core response with greater Economic Opportunities for women. Is there any reason to believe that allowing transgender young people to participate in sports threatens womens privacy or employment or Economic Opportunities . None of those things are threatened by the participation of transgender individuals. Isnt there a risk that banning Transgender Athletes could lead to privacy violations either through a crime of documentation or basic examination . There is a deep worry there and some states have passed that verification law. In sports . There is an opportunity to promote further resources to address sexual abuse that is happening in sports. To provide the sort of resources that many more kids have an opportunity to play, and advocate that the Biden Administration finalize this rule that has been waiting for so long. We have seen the same misguided organs for rooted and foster touch when athletes of color tried to integrate white sports leagues, were accused of taking away opportunities from white athletes, black women in sports constantly encounter shifting roles and expectations as a reprimand for their success. They are accused of doping or cheating to win. People make crude remarks about the perceived femininity and create racist depictions of the physicality and attempts to discourage and exclude them from competing. To keep them from winning. They were wrong then and they are wrong now. I am offended to see hatred and bigotry wrapped up in fake concerns about women and girls, we are talking about children wanting to play sports, wanting to feel included and accepted, i would like to quote a republican governor from utah, governor coxs veto message, really has so much fear and anger been directed at so few. I dont understand what they are going through why they feel the way they do, but i want them to live. I yield back. We recognize myself to five minutes. Why is it unfair to allow biological males to compete in womens sports . Look at what is happened. Even if you just look at the examples recently, we dont see females entering into mens sports and dominating, this is only happening one way and that way males entering womens sports and dominating. I could get into the science of it, i mentioned the athletic gap in my testimony which is consistent among sports, specifically sports where there is an objective time like swimming or track and field, it is 10 to 12 across the board. You look at wingspan or height or lung capacity, the size of the heart which does not change with hormone suppression. Going through puberty, those effects are not reversible. You are telling us to follow the science . That is true. You have been active in working with kappa kappa gamma in wyoming, can you explain what is going on and why it is so important that sororities remain female only . Absolutely. This is a part of the title and rewrite, a lot broader than sports and sorties, what those girls at the university of wyoming are going through, i know this because i speak with them daily. They just we filed a lawsuit this morning. What they are going through is nothing short of it is perverse, allowing a male into the Sorority House, watching them as they shower and address, Walking Around in the vein of being explicit, but true , Walking Around erect in the Sorority House and asking them uncomfortable questions about their on grommets, breasts, that is violating, especially a collegeage young girl who is promised sisterhood, granted they got the brother they never wanted. The Biden Administration is claimed april 13th, 2023 proposed rule governing title ix and athletics will bring clarity , is that true . It was not until this administrative where the definition of sex was anything other than clear. The entire structure of title ix is built upon a sex binary. The purpose of regulatory law, the administrator procedure act is to let the federal government contain and work on rules that clarify anything that may be perceived to be ambiguous. The Previous Administration had already released a title ix rule in 2020 making it very clear, certain guidelines on Sexual Harassment and sexual assault, and until this administration, there was no ambiguity whatsoever. What harm will come to a female athlete by redefining sex in title ix to include gender identity . It is hard to quantify the impacts of individual girls were suddenly divested of the opportunities to achieve scholarships, play on Athletic Teams, pursue the classes they want, ultimately, because we know there is a connection between success on the field and success later in life, these are individuals who are not only going to suffer those particular direct impacts, they will bear the brunt, in addition, there will be a market relationship fallout we have yet to even begin to quantify. To women and girls . Absolutely. Miss russell, can you speak to your experience is with cancel culture and the treatment you received at Oberlin College because he stood up for women . My own children safe, mother, you have been canceled twice. Yes, i went in to oberlin as a fairly liberal person. I still love everyone in sport, no matter who you want to be and who you want to decide you want to present as there are extreme differences in the biology of men and women. I have experienced it as an athlete and a coach. And the parent. As an athlete, i chose to play coed field hockey as an adult, my worst injury i have ever had came from that. A man fell on top of me. I am 54, maybe 120 pounds, i have not been bigger except for when i was pregnant. When he fell on me, two of my ribs popped off of my sternum. Those are the kinds of injuries, and what happened to Peyton Mcnabb has recently happened to another High School Athlete in california whose father is too afraid to say anything on this cancel culture , what has happened, children are too afraid to say anything, parents are too afraid, coaches are in fear of losing their jobs , professors are in fear of losing. For standing up for women . Yes. I recognize mr. Raskin . The republican governor of utah says never before has he seen so many be so cruel to so few. Let me start with you, ms. Goss graves , it sounds like what we are mostly talking about is the women who are at the very highest levels of their sport, in the final competitions, the very best. Do you get complaints about this , have you heard about complaints just with people participating in either coed sports, or Transgender Athletes who are part of an intramural Softball League . People playing , not for very high stakes but playing for the reason most of us do is to get exercise and have fun . About two dozen states have been racing to ban transgender participation in sports at all levels. Many of those states have struggled to identify any transgender individuals who are actually playing sports. What we are dealing with right now, is not an overwhelming number of Transgender Athletes, but actually, this sort of political rhetoric that is creating this fervor that makes people believe that transgender people who are less than half of 1 of the population have an outside presence in the sports. It is not to protect women sports, to expand the opportunity for women to play, or bring more resources, and it is not for School Districts to create safer conditions. There are other things we know that work that increase safety in sports. This is not it. Let me ask you, you are a lacrosse coach, i have two daughters who play lacrosse, seems like you are a great coach. First answer that question, are we talking about the highest level of sports where you are identifying a problem . Is it a problem to have coed sports or transgender kids play at lower levels for intramural . Nobody here that i have heard has said anything about outlawing transgender from playing sports. You do not favor that . No. What i am saying, i believe i have heard this here, i dont believe that biological males should be playing on exclusively women or girls teams. Coed is completely different. When you play coed in general, boys and girls understand they are playing with each other, it is played differently and not with the same intensity as a mens sport. Can i asked about your personal experience back you lost your job or left oberlin, not because of something that happened with your team, or a transgender player on your team, but because of something you said about what happened in another league in another state . Did i follow that . Tell me the story. Are you asking why i am no longer coaching there . Yes, i thought you were telling us the story but i could not follow. Maybe it is not related but i thought it was related to your views on this. I told the story publicly, the college what story . What happened to me at the college which i did speak up about biological males competing against biological females. Wasnt at oberlin . No. Do you have direct experience of this . Of biological males playing at oberlin . With biological females . Yes. Is that where this comes from . No. Ms. Goss graves , secretary devos in the Trump Administration says transgender kids should not be able to participate across the board. Not just at the highest levels, but categorically could not participate. The office of civil rights on may 2027 a Connecticut High School could not make it allowing transgender students to participate in the flats on the team corresponding to the gender identity. How did that policy, i understand the policy today, it is up to the schools to decide when it is appropriate and when it is not appropriate under the Biden Administration rules. How did the policy category bending it affect children . What a categorical ban means, a child who wants to play does not have the chance to play. It also means, even if you are a transgender kid, maybe you dont want to play sports, you now have a giant signal coming from the government that you are less worthy. That discrimination against you will be okay. It is both a practical harm but this broader message that policymakers are sending to young people that is disturbing. Thank you and i yield back. The chair recognizes mr. Fairness is with us from birth, america really hates cheaters, ask lance armstrong, remember deflate gate . The steroid era was not tied to baseball and that is why this is obnoxious to the public. Not only is allowing men to play women sports a violation of fairness and posing a danger to women in the locker room and the bathrooms, making women feel the opposite of safe. To normalize it encourages the terrible reality and tragedy of children relating cells in a misguided attempt to change genders. Family Research Council said the Transgender Health is a source of the following list of diseases that cross hormones cause. Here is a list, blood clots, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, high red blood cells, some psychological disorders. It defies common sense tabulation improves Mental Health for the love of god, stop, every time you claim a man to play woman sports, every time you tell a child they can be whatever gender you want to be, every time you read a book to a child that is propaganda, you are risking the health, happiness, and wellbeing of our children please stop experiment with our youth. Ms. Goss graves , is the genetic composition of a transgender versus a woman the same . No. I am not a scientist. We are talking about science. They are not the same. That is what you see these theological differences. If i could answer, if your question is, how do you find women, a women is an adult female, but there is a lot of variation that goes beyond biology. I am not looking at a definition, i am talking about science genetically a man is a man, plain and simple. I guess, what i would say, i am not a scientist or doctor, but it is more complex than what you are saying. In that there is variation among men and among women. Sometimes more variation among than there is between again, i am not a scientist. I dont think the panelists are scientists either. Maybe this should be in a different scientific hearing. That is what you see muscle mass, difference, all these variances, in the wnba, players that are 55 and players that are 69. Now that you brought that up, lets talk about that, the center for the phoenix mercury, she had to get a genetic test to prove that she was a woman. Did she not . That is going to the problem with these sex verification and sex testing. When i think about, what all women, especially black women whose bodies have historically fell outside of the typical, what is considered the typical norm, the idea that people would have to to prove their femaleness to play is horrifying and going in the wrong direction. I disagree with you. We have to be real about what peoples aspects are. Riley, how does playing in meaning women sports affect the core of a team or the team spirit . s speaking to my lived experience, it was a major distraction to have a male competing with us at the national championships. It was all we could talk about as a team. We were fearful to go to the locker room, we had to wait and watch, thomas came out, we would enter toward going in at the same time. Our sport is very physical but there is a mental aspect and allowing men into our sports negatively impacted that mental aspect and the physical of course. What are the cost of agile institutions of complying with this new title ix rules which makes it impossible for schools receiving money to limit women sports only to women . Not just cost to education but cost to the federal government and taxpayers, cost to the medical community, cost to produce lunch programs because title ix intersects with section 1557 of the Affordable Care act and on the food and nutrition act which is the u. S. Reduced School Lunch Program which means that implicating this particular rule does not just affect sports , it affects everything from Nutrition Program funding, it affects the cost of litigation, it affects the cost of implementation, now requiring open locker rooms, open bathrooms, the cost of implementation, in addition to what our personal injury lawsuits, as a result of the fact that these female students are now getting concussions, dental injuries, facial injuries , a school that does not protect its biological girls maintains sex separate spaces, is certainly going to be facing significant financial harm. Thank you. I yield back. The chair recognizes ms. Ocasiocortez. I have spent time in Congress Sitting through panels and hearings of men attempting to restrict the rights of women and telling us it is for our own good. I want to dive deeply into why this issue, targeting trans women in sports is particularly problematic, not just for trans girls but all of us. We are here today because there is a proposal, several proposals here, to further marginalize trans women in sports. I think about this all the time because trans people in the United States, does not exceed 1 of our population yet, there are so many resources and energy and time dedicated to figuring out how we can more finely exclude them. From our sports. I thought, why . Why so much effort and dedication of such a tiny portion of u. S. Population when the virtual is no major issue that this is precipitating . I started to realize that a lot of these proposals here involve invasion of privacy. Of all women. Ms. Goss graves , can you tell us a little bit about what sex testing looks like for young people in states with trans athletic bans . It is terrible. In some states, any individual can challenge whether someone is a girl enough to play. In some states, it requires general verification, which is shocking. It is not let us stop you, they have proposals, a proposed ban on trans athletes that originally had genital examinations on minors. To protect women . Unfortunately, yes. We are seeing, in this guise, of not only trying to further marginalize trans women and girls, we are talking about opening up all women and girls to genital exams when they are under age. Potentially because someone can point to someone and say, i dont think you are a girl. That is correct. This is in an environment of a post Dobbs America where states are criminalizing access to abortion and want nothing more than data on women to figure out when someone is getting a menstrual cycle, and we are supposed to believe this will make us better and safer . I think not. Per usual, i dont believe we are sitting here and a panel of men that has actually thought about the biology and privacy consequences of all women, trans or sis gender. Ms. Goss graves , in addition, are there certain groups more likely to face discrimination under these bans . Particularly with black women and girls . We have seen that, examples of black women, professional athletes, whose bodies have been more examined and demonized. We have seen that with my fan favorite, Serena Williams, whose body is often talked about. Challenging them for who they are. If it is codified into law, something that we would expect to see. This deeply intersects with a secondary issue, which is, racial bias in the medical field. We have vast proportions of populations that have been studied and tested, it is having to do with the broader population and what is determined as a norm oftentimes get fed to largely white populations that have been studied, and black women and girls are then further subject to marginalization. This has been your experience . That is correct. We are supposed to sit here, on this side, and, to the Ranking Members point, a party that has voted against womens access to abortion, against equal pay, voted against the violence against women act, voted against our right to have access to contraception, and also does not even vote for mac equal funding, equitable funding in women sports, and i am supposed to believe this is who is looking out for my best interests . I think not. I yield back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. Grothman. Earlier we had a hearing on antisemitism, both showing the lack of common sense are people running our universities. I will start with riley gaines. You participated in a small group i was with earlier. I learned something, this entire thing is based on the idea that people are one way or the other. As i understand it, is it true that people go all the way with transgender . That they still have to take hormones . If a boy becomes a girl, he still has he does not become a girl all the way, he still has to take hormones to deal with this . Different governing bodies in different sports have different rules. For example, the International Governing Body of swimming now has implemented a rule that says , if you about male puberty, you cannot compete with women but you have other sports, such as soccer, that says, it is a testosterone threshold. I believe it is 10 animals per liter of testosterone, any person, male, female can possess and still be allowed to play on the womens team. It changes my sport. The ncaa had a like a policy in 2010 adjusted 12 months of hormone replacement therapy. If you dont have an answer, that is okay, ms. Perry, from what i have read, the vast majority of people, 80 , 95 who have gender identity eventually come back to their original gender. I sometimes wonder, as we normalize this idea of guys playing in women sports, are you creating a situation, tragic if true, some of these guys will never switch back because their whole social setting is praising them for switching. Too bad if they would have been 80 , 95 that snapped back. That is a concern. Your microphone. 75 to 95 per children, if allowed to progress to normal puberty, eventually make peace with their biological sex and avoid the trans dilemma altogether. Based on studies, social transitioning, including playing on a team, specifically articulated by the Biden Administration and its proposed rulemaking, playing on the team that you want specifically for your gender identity, not based on sex, is an entrie into ultimate medical transitioning. With the rise of detransing, including in california, where Kaiser Permanente is subject to multiple lawsuits for fast tracking gender identity surgeries. The mind reels of what the implications will be. I did read that these people are 19 more times likely to commit suicide. Encouraging these children to play on an Athletic Team that does not match their actual sex, you may be sending them down this pathway in which they may kill themselves . Absolutely. In addition to using cross sex hormones or puberty blockers, that sense of many latent medical health, Mental Health conditions that may not have been previously diagnosed. A full 30 in america of young women who are presenting to a gender confirmation clinic had not been diagnosed and are ultimately diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. As the mother of two children on the Autism Spectrum Disorder scale, i will tell you right now that they are very, very obvious manifestations that someone not trained to look for would have to take into account rather than fast tracking someone into medical and hormonal castration. This is interesting. One thing if you are dealing with a 30yearold but you are largely dealing with people who are so young. 14, 15 years old, we are pushing them towards transitioning and maybe screwing up their entire life. No question. Okay. Thank you very much. Thank you. The chair recognizes ms. Crockett from texas. Most everyone on the other side of the aisle has endorsed a person that has been found liable for sexual abuse of women. Our president of United States, but we are going to talk about how this party is going to protect women. Protecting women, what does that mean . Are we going to talk about sexual abuse . We can get into it because we have a real conversation that we can have about it. Considering the fact that we are currently in the middle of a war, there has been allegations of rape being used, maybe we can have conversations about what it would look like to prevent that, what it would look like to go and get those hostages out, send money to our allies, we could do something of value. Let me tell you, this session, we have said, we have had a Record Number of people who announce the retirements in the month of november from the house. From everything i hear, because this body has become completely not serious. But we do have serious issues, especially when it comes to women. Lets talk about what it looks like to protect women in this country. When lawmakers like this are so far out of touch with what women need, we see states pushing back, states that will allow you to push back, i am from texas and they dont want you to ever have an opportunity to raise her voice in the state of texas. I know your organization, the Heritage Foundation, loves texas , they always are sending us nonsense bills that set this country on the wrong trajectory, they send them to texas, florida, every deplorable state we talk about, they come out of your think tank. Nevertheless, when we talk about protecting women, what we have seen is, say, in the state of ohio, one of the most recent states, when their lawmakers did not have the courage to do what they needed to do because point of order. Because we believe point of order. I moved to strike her words, deplorable states that is not a point of order. Let her proceed. Whoa the committee will suspend. I am prepared to rule. This is not a statement, deplorable state is not a statement against a person. Or it is not engaged in personalities so you can continue and reclaim your time. Thank you, madam chair. We saw recently, with the state of ohio when their lawmakers refuse to listen to them, we also have seen, what the state of kansas decided to do. When it comes to protecting women, the only people standing up for women on an everyday basis are the people themselves because their elected officials get into these positions in a gerrymandered way and do not represent the interests of the people. Let me talk to you about something that is very real in this country, that is homeless people. I am sure that, while we dont have an expert on the matter here, many of you may not recognize that the majority of the youth actually unhoused are members of the lgbtq ia community, with Mental Health issues in this country, if we care, i heard terms i never thought i would hear certain people say, up in here, equality, civil rights, i cannot get the Voting Rights act passed, we have heard we need to follow the science, are you kidding me . We are talking about anti vaccines. Let me talk about somebody i love dearly, who has struggled and suffered because of the ignorance that continues to be perpetuated, which is not what is in the will of the people. Young libby, my constituent for far too long and got through too much in texas, at the age of seven, libby testified at the statehouse about the bathroom bill, i think that was a Heritage Foundation situation as well. Testified at the age of seven about how it made her feel. Ultimately, libby has been testifying and is 13 years old now. I am going to tell you something, i know it was characterized as, this is the cool thing to do, and maybe people are encouraged to be trans, they dont want to speak out, it is not an easy thing to do. When you had to sit here and prove your personhood every single time that you are Walking Around, you have people that feel a certain way, they are losing in the sport, the trans person, it doesnt sound like came in first from what i can tell. Nevertheless, i think we need to focus on real things, real issues relating to women. If you care about women, lets get the e. R. A. Passed to get people rights, fully fund access to Reproductive Health, protect those being raped in this country and abroad, this party has decided, if you are raped as a child, you should not have access to Reproductive Health care. I will yield. Before this gets more out of control, i will try to reel it in. I remind everybody of the title of this hearing, the importance of protecting female athletes and title ix. Title ix was designed to give female athletes equality, fairness, this is about, i will state it again because were getting off track, title ix and protecting female athletes. I am happy to have other hearings, but i would like to stay focused on this hearing if we could, which, again, the importance of protecting female athletes in title ix. Without objection, representative mr. Burlison is recognized for five minutes. Thank you for holding the steering. This is an important topic. I want to reiterate the words of our colleague from wisconsin, what is happening in our universities is insane. It is almost the deescalation of thought in western culture for thousands of years. From political philosophy, like plato, what is in your mind is not necessarily reality. And the truth. You can believe all day long in one thing, does not mean it is so. Almost like this nation and this attitude that we want to throw out this conventional thinking for centuries will be the undoing of this nation. If you want to know where this administration stands, just look at the position statement from President Biden who said, lets be clear, Transgender Equality is a civil rights issue of our time, there is no room for compromise when it comes to basic human rights. There is no room for compromise . That is a very definitive statement. Riley gaines , what would you say to those that claim there is no room for compromise when it comes to men competing in womens sports . That statement, i am just not even honestly certain what that would mean. In terms of compromise for women, i dont believe we should have to compromise anything. We should be, this is what title ix and the original intent was, we should be entitled to competing on the basis of sex, without facing discrimination. Again, what myself and my teammates and my competitors and girls around the country, high school level, college level, face discrimination on the basis of our sex. I am a father of two girls who both participated in sports. When you are the parent on the sidelines, you are watching, the competitive, that nature flows. When you see injustice occurring, whether teams that are having children that are older than your kids, or, i will never forget, for many years, boys and girls were equal, especially in soccer, but there was a point in which it was no longer the case. As a parent, and all the parents on the sidelines, we would count the number, especially in coed, we would count the number of boys and determine, which team is probably going to win. Nice whenever they were able to get to the age where they could compete against other girls. Sadly, that is why everybody who sees what is happening knows that this is not justice. Anyone who is apparent and sees what is happening knows that this is injustice. A survey of parents in the United States concluded that 70 of parents do not think that this is a good idea. Yet, we are doing it. Of course, if you object, you are considered transphobic. You are canceled. Mrs. Russell, you were canceled for standing up for female athletes. What would you say to others in a similar position wondered whether or not they should speak out . I would still suggest that everybody speak up because it is because of silence that this continues. The amount of support i received , when i went public, the number of emails, direct messages, and phone calls, all was positive. Everything on social media was positive and support of this position that girls and women sports needs to stay female only. Thank you for your courageous stand. We appreciate that. I just want to say, to mrs. Gaines , what happened to you is tragic. You were robbed of the glory, your opportunity to clearly be the victor. If it were not so tragic, it would be comical. There is a movie being made, the comedy about this very issue. On the daily wire. I encourage everyone to watch it. That is what is needed what we are seeing, myself, my teammates, my competitors saw a mockery of women, and i believe it is time we go through comedy because it is objectively funny. It is inherent to look at this and laugh because it feels like satire. Watching that movie, to which i watched, it did not feel like satire, it felt like a documentary of what myself and girls around the country continue to go through. Thank you. I think you for the opportunity to participate. Ms. Russell, i will try to get this substantiated somewhere, men in this country, it is scholastically received 1250 2 million more in athletic scholarships than women for the 20192020 year period girls generally have approximately 1. 1 million fewer opportunities than boys to participate in High School Athletics. Title ix has not been able to fix that. Does this ring true . What i just read to you . I dont have that in front of me what i do know is that there are so many more opportunities because of title ix and, if we allow men and boys into women sports, which is what is happening, those opportunities and more scholarships go away. For women. I dont know whether or not excluding Transgender Athletes from participating fixes this gross inequity of 252 million more in athletic scholarships for women. And 1. 1 million fewer opportunities for girls than boys to participate in High School Athletics. Excluding Transgender Athletes constitutes less than 1 of this country, that is not a fix to the gender inequities in sports. Let me read to you am i allowed to Say Something . No. I want to read an expert from governor spencer cox of utah, when he vetoed the trans ban in sports, he reads the final reason, i must admit im not an expert in transgender, i struggle to understand much of it, and the site is conflicting , when in doubt, i try to err on kindness, mercy, and i am learning so much more, so much from our transgender community. They are great kids who face enormous struggles. Here are the numbers that have most impacted my decision, 75,000, four, one, 86, 56, 75,000 High School Kids participating in high School Sports in utah, four transgender kids playing high School Sports in houston utah, one playing girl sports, 86 of trans students reporting suicide, 56 of transyouth having attempted suicide. Four kids, only one playing girls sports, four kids who are not dominating or winning trophies or taking scholarships, four kids trying to find some friends and feel like they are part of something or number kids trying to get through each day. Rarely has so much fear and anger been directed at so few. I dont understand what theyre going to and why they feel the way they do but i want them to live. All the research shows, even a little acceptance and connection can reduce suicidality significantly. For that reason, as much as any other, i have taken this action, vetoing this bill, and hope we can Work Together to find a better way. If a veto override occurs, i hope we can find ways to show these four kids that we love them and they have the place in our state. I find it remarkable. Following that veto and the override, it was interesting, there was an incident in utah where parents perceived that the winner of a contest, and athletic contest, was really not of that gender. Not really a girl. What happened is, the parents forced this woman, this young girl, to undergo a genital inspection because her body type did not conform to that of what they thought was a girl. I just want to insert this article, judge blocks utah trans ban. Consent to enter into the record the veto message of spencer cox, the governor of utah. Without objection. Ms. Goss graves , you talked about the issue of straight girls who win being potentially subjected to this invasion of privacy. That is correct. All girls are subject to the sex verification processes, infuse it genital examinations or tracking menstrual cycles, or other deep invasions of privacy. Who will be most harmed are the girls who dont fit a stereotype. There has been a lot of stereotype conversation today, a lot of people do not conform to stereotypes and title ix has had something to say about that. Sorry for going over. Ms. Russell, i will give you a few seconds to respond. The second time i have heard the exclusion of Transgender Athletes, were not talking about excluding anyone, we are talking about keeping female sports for biological females only. Womens and girl sports for biological females only, that does not exclude anyone. The chair recognizes chairman foxx for five minutes. Ms. Russell, i would like to continue on this issue, in terms of what mr. Takana was saying, my understanding is, along the line, not a matter of not just a matter of people who pretend to be girls or women, who are biologically male moving into girls and women sports, isnt there an issue of the difference in strength and the issue of safety . Arent those primary issues so even if a biological male takes on puberty blockers im sorry. G blockers, they can still maintain muscle mass and their workout. As far as safety, right now we talked about three different High School Athletes injured by biological males. Biological males not transgender and the shot he took, if you dont know what field hockey ball looks like, a charter than a baseball and harder than a lacrosse ball. The muscle mass in men, its the body composition, they are made to give birth to children, they are made to breastfeed. Thank you very much. Thank you for the great work you are doing bringing these issues and keeping these issues at the forefront of mind. The lack of transparency provided data Biden Administration was changed to title ixs and the social agendasg concern usually for parents. How did your parents are not your changed clothes in the sae locker room is a biological male asked. I had to call my parents. As mentioned, we were forewarned, the only time, the first time became aware be forced to undress next to against this 6foot four, 22yearold male fully intact with and exposing male genitalia inches away from this mail also simultaneously undressing. I called, specifically my dad and he was outraged. So no one was informed about this ahead of time. Im sure youve been around your former teammates, how are they responding to these changes in womens sports . University of kentucky junior and senior year, i made sure to facilitate an environment where everyone felt comfortable sharing their views and what i noticed was 38 out of the 40 girls on the womens swimming and diving team felt the same way i am sharing with you and i dontt claim for every single growth i do claim to speak for the overwhelming majority of us. Majority of us because i saw the tears from the girls who placed ninth and 17th and missed out on being named an allamerican by one place and it felt the discomfort i can attest to the whispers of anger and frustration from those girls who had worked our entire lives to get to that point. Thank you. And how important is parental involvement . Why should we protect it . This administration is keen to the best parents of their Constitutional Authority to oversee the karana bring other children at every turn and the rise in what we see of these confidential gender identity policies in publicly funded schools is a perfect example of that. The vesting parents from their ability to be involved in the children sports, the competitive nature of whatth will ultimately invest them Going Forward with the maturity and the success they will need later in life i dont thinkma just involves parents. I think ultimately involves a disservice to teachers, educators, school administrators, and the fact of the matter is just the second of these two rules is patently unconstitutional and will not survive the littlejohn. Ms. Perry, in the april 13 proposal the Biden Administration uses i county ruling as justification. What is the Biden Administrations air using visual . Its hard to contain is aa brief statement but i will say the opinion begin with Justice Gorsuch riding riding wee assumption that sexting biological distinction between male and female. At no point was sexy expanded to include gender identity. Title ix and title vii are completely different. Title vii which was an issue is an Employment Law that prevents consideration at all of underlying sex or sex characteristics. Title ix however is exactly the opposite. It requires consideration of sex and because gorsuch was clear to cabin the opinion saying exclusively were not talking about anything but implement discrimination law, we are not discussing pronouns, bathrooms, dress codes or locker rooms. That unfortunately was not a message i think the department of education whisking to listen to so they ate and ignored it. Thank you, madam chair. Thank you, ms. Perry. I want to make one clarification that the Ranking Member of the full committee made. Our current title ix role in no way prevents transgender students from participating in sports. It simply said a school didnt violate title ix by having them compete based on their biological sex. So i just want to clarify that for the record. And since i gave ms. Russell a few extra minutes, i will tack that time on to you, mr. Gosar. Madam chair, asking and was considered them to the record this study by the british journal of Sports Medicine showing after two years of hormonal therapy most athletic performance differences between trans women and cisgender disappeared challenge will be heard today think all gentlemen are so physically superior to cisgender women they are bound to win every match and injure all. This narrative is not supported by science. Without objection, soo ordered. With that the chair now recognizes mr. Gosar for fiveish minutes. Thank you, jay. What you take a step back and think about the big picture of what we can talk about in this Committee Hearing when we talk about trans youth participating in sports. Because when were here at the seat of government andnt the u. Capitol and we talk about young people, i think we should we talk about how we support them. And if anyone needs support, its probably trans youth who are more likely to face bullying me, and isolation, and doubt you shall have a hard time than most of our kids. But instead of talking about how to support all of our youth, special our most vulnerable youth, people in my state like greg abbott have used their government power to pick on trans kids and get tv news hits about their inability to play in sports, instead of funding schools, supporting teachers, counselors or youth programs, ive got an extremist legislature singly at what we can talk about today, a small handful of kids who are already suffering from pain because the families i met with, they know that when we spent our time in these seats of power talking about that instead of with them about these challenges, that creates even worse Mental Health issues. Even more really hard times for some of these families who are questioning their own residency in my state. Thats what were dealing with here today. And select any other athlete, trans athletes sometimes when, sometimes a lose, but in talking with a very small handful of them, they talk about how this is a chance at camaraderie, a chance at relaxation, this is a chance at teamwork. So in my view instead of spending our time picking on trans youth, we should be listening to them, bringing community together, figuring out how to solve the real challenges that our youth face rather than angling for the latest segment on fox news. We should focus on expanding opportunities for all of our young people and find ways to let kids be kids. So now for my question to ms. Goss graves. Are you aware of any reason to believe that allowing trans athletes evs but in girls athletics is limiting opportunities for cisgender athlete . Absolutely not. In fact, theres a lot of gender inequityto in sports and in schools but trans athletes are not the source of it. They are not the source of resource inequity. Theyin are not the source of not having the same level of coaching. They arent the source of not opening up new sports teams would have a group of girls who say i i just want to try playg lacrosse and your school will start a lacrosse team. Trans athletes are not the reason that we are gender inequity in sports, and they are not the reason that 50 years after title ix was passed, its broad promise of addressing sex discrimination in education is still unfulfilled. Ninety for that answer. And so, ms. Goss graves, how could we since were in these seats of power that is about womens athletics and increase opportunities for girlsls and women who want to participate in sports . Does a range of things that would be important. You can provide Additional Resources to schools, especially schools who have few resources to devote to sports. Oftentimes what we found in areas where they have few resources whato the end of doig is investing hugely into male sports programs in deciding that theyre not goingd to invest in fatal sports programs. You could also take action on the information that is comee ot about sexual abuse in sports, abuse by coaches, my athletic trainers, i sometimes medical doctors. This isnt something thats come out about trans athletes. It is about schools looking away from the harm that their employees are causing. There are a range of things i would be happy to work with you and with this committee on it. As mr. To, mention the four trans athletes in utah, its nothing that were caused this used disproportionately in funding for men sports versus women sports. Inet fact, what youre saying ia man of the trans athletes, or is in trans athletes taken operatives away when sports might actually be guys like us on diocese like this one not investing equally in womens sports. Actually i have here an example from the Womens Sports Foundation say that men received 252 million more and athletic scholarships than women in the years 2019 and 2020. A report released last year for the 50th anniversary of title ix found that means athletic programs received more than twice as many resources as womens athletic programs in 2020, and expenditure for recruiting and compensating head and assistant coaches favored male athletes about three to one. I want to enter both of those documents into the record first the may 2022 report from the Womens Sports Foundation titled 50 years of title ix, we are not done yet. So id like unanimous consent to internet into thehe record along with this report from 2022 from the ncaa titled the state of women and College Sports. Thank you. So i think this is a really important part of the question. One, how can we better support young people in general . And then second, if the claim is that the supporting trans young people and a Mental Health and ability to be fully include are hurting women sports come to have asked us of what is actually hurting womens sports . It might be the amount of scholarship money that many of us were male athletes immediate access to that women athletes didnt have access toou her many of us who were male athletes could participate in sports over the summer and in the fall semester and in the Spring Semester and do a second set a you already had your uniforms pay for for and joe have thy to get championships trips paid for. Maybe you could be talking about those things before going to be talking about sports. Ms. Goss graves, just to close here, how could bans on trans athletes but as the increase womens athletics also harm those others . Weve talked a lot about the sort of Sex Education we have seen, and that is how you prove how states are requiring proving up, that you are doing enough for woman enough to play. Ii also just want to see this hs been studied. The issue of trans exclusionary policies Sports Participation for girls over all in high school declined in states that had trans exclusion policies. So when we are inclusive, everyone wins. You were saying where there have been more transinclusive policies you that more women produce but in sports . That is correct. Thank you. I yield back. Gentleman yields. The china recognizes himself for five minutes for purposes of asking questions. Whats interesting about this entire debate, dealt with this in South Carolina was when i was in the journal of the summit sought to me the polling, the amount of people that support keeping girls in girls sports admit in mens sports. South car when i was in the general assembly. It shocked me. Appalling when you look at this. The amount of people that support keeping girls in gross sports, and men in mens sports. 70 around the country. The American People cant agree 70 on anything. But come on this they are there. They understand it. It makes common sense. So, miss gaines when you travel the country. What are some of the stories you hear from women who are seeing this in their schools or on their campuses . First, and foremost to your point. As we see a lot of times both at the state, and federal level. How representatives vote. Senators vote. Delegates vote. It seems as if it falls on party lines. But, just as you said that cannot be further from the truth. This extends beyond the political aisle. That is certainly something ive seen traveling the country. Going state to state. Talking to women who have been impacted by this in some capacity. Whether that be in their sport. Whether that be women in prisons who have dealt with male inmates being allowed into their presents. Whether that be the case of the sorority and wyoming. Bathroom instances. As we saw this week the headline about a male who was allowed to sleep in a bed, and be roomed with a woman. And the answer is always the same thing, and that this is harmful. Specifically, to women. It adversely affects women. This whole hearing. We havent talked about females entering into mens sports, because thats not a threat. And its not happening. And it wont happen. Because this is only happening one way, and that way is the way that affects women negatively. So, you look at the polling on this. We talked about this. Its remarkable to me. This is the success of title ix. When you have roughly 300,000 at the start in 1972. Female athletes. Now youre over 3 million. People understand what is going on. Your parents understood what was happening in your locker room. They understand whats going on. Thats why theyre so supportive of keeping fairplay field. And supporting title ix in its original intent. What are some of the concerns . Maybe not the specific instances, but some of the things you hear from women across the country . Want them as we mentioned safety aspects. Especially, in for sports that require physical contact. Or, throwing something at one another. Collision. These girls are scared. Another thing i hear across the country as women are terrified to speak out. They are terrified to be vilified. They are terrified to be called transphobic or big its like weve been called in this hearing today for stating our views. And thats a real threat. And i understand it. Since taking the stance that ive taken my address has been linked to, and thats my address has been leaked ive ath amount of Death Threats that ive had that have rendered the fbi getting involved. Its real. The vitriol i faced. Ive been held for ransom for over four hours were these protesters demanded that if i wanted to make it home to see my family safely again i had to pay the money. Ive been hit. Ive been spit on. Ive had bottles thrown at me. Transport on me. Again, thomas estimates in particular. They were forced every single week to go to mandatory lgbtq meetings. Whenever concerned about the locker room aspect, and 16 of the swimmers thomas estimates sent an email to their administration with their parents on the email for the locker room the ministration responded back with, if you feel uncomfortable seeing male here are counselors you should seek in an attempt to reeducate yourself. In light of the time, real quickly. I know that the locker room situation you described earlier. Using the ncaa is actually working to improve the situation . Or, do you think its status quo with them or sweeping it under the rug . Its certainly status quo. A few weeks ago. And when confronted with that exact question, what is this policy pertaining to the locker rooms look like right now . He can answer. He didnt know what the policy was. He had to tell senator holly, let me get back to you in writing. I think thats incredible retelling for the ncaa president to not even know the policy as it stands pertaining to locker rooms. Miss perry, you described that the federal government as perpetuating, and athletic fraud of unprecedented proportions on students. Do you think, one that the Biden Administrations efforts will actually leave a Lasting Impact on womens sports . Do you hope to see a different approach in a Different Administration . I think the best, and different approach would be to leave title ix alone. As it was originally intended to be interpreted. There was no ambiguity whatsoever. And ultimately, what keeps us here is our failure to identify biological distinctions between one sex, and another. We can use terms like says, and trans all we want. But, men and women are different. And the American Public knows it. Thats why 70 of the american populace wants sports separated by sex. Washington post. However here it is. All of them. Across the line. No matter their ideological event. All indicate that americans want sex separated sports. I do have a very strong feeling that this law will automatically be challenged in a federal court. We know the notice of interpretive guidance has already been seized. It is already now based on 20 states. It is in a Holding Pattern based on the ultimate release of this final rule. Its a violation of the ministry of law, civil rights law, and constitutional law. And the ways to challenge it are too long i think for the timeframe of this hearing today. Thank you for that ms. Perry. With that i recognize mr. Garcia of california for five minutes. Id like to seek unanimous consent to enter into the record. From the District Court of utah, and roe v wade utah athletics at. My colleagues have asserted that there imposed per interpretation of settlement will not present. But, as a utah district activities associated regarding trans girls on girls sports teams. If theyre not eligible to plan girls teams they have no meaningful opportunity to play at all. Thank you mr. Chairman. So, first of all thank you for allowing me to waive on his hearing today. I think its important to have different perspectives, and certainly before my time being here in congress for this last year. I served as a mayor in my committee. But, before that most importantly i worked for 10 years on a college campus. So, i understand very well what the experience of my former students have had, and what being an athlete, and having those experiences also mean for so many students. Let me also just say that an advancement for four women in sports, and athletes has been incredible of course over the last few decades. Ive seen even my own institutions. The university where i worked at. The ability to transition, and encourage women sports. To fund sports in a way thats equitable for all of our students. Has always been really important. So, i celebrate in advance how far women athletes have come. And sports for women across our university systems, and community colleges. I also think its important as an openly gay person to recognize that our community. Especially, trans people in our community are constantly being attacked. I know some folks have said or, being called bigots. Or, the fear that there is bigotry. But, there is a lot of bigotry. Particularly, against people that are trans in this country. And against the lgbtq plus community. When the rest of us like myself as an openly gay person. Gay man face is nothing compared to what trans people face in this country. Our Community Needs to be divided. And we cannot be divided amongst ourselves when this hateful, kind of vital language happens to so many that are already suffering from severe challenges and disadvantages in this country. We know the subcommittee is tasked with. Drug safety, and monetary policy. All important things. But, instead of course were focused on the queue or cruelty. Our voters have sent us here to address our countrys biggest challenges. But, instead we are once again going into battles, and trying to move our rights backwards. Not forward. We know the majority often times goes back to moral panic. And inciting what i believe is violence, and hatred towards gay people. Sports remains a place where all lgbtq plus people can feel free to play, and to be accepted. We also know that lgbtq plus people are underrepresented in sports, and particularly trans, and nonbinary athletes. There were fewer by the way than 100 trans, and nonbinary athletes in ncaa sports. Out of over a quarter of 1 million athletes. So, the 226,000 athletes that participate. We are talking about less than 100 actual people. In the room to remind you that third less than 100 percent. When you look at the whole population. Its either. 4 or. 5 identify as trans. So, what were really talking about here is a very small percentage of the population. That are constantly being attacked, and attacked, and attacked over, and over again. And we know that for trans people, their lives are already endangering so many ways. Mental health challenges, and access to healthcare. Now, ms. Graves is there a reason to think that people are transitioning . Completely, radically changing their life, and their health. Just to gain a competitive advantage in womens sports. There is absolutely no evidence of that. And actually putting that notion out there in a formal setting with policymakers. It sends a really terrible message. If i could just say one thing about what i hope transgender young people who may be watching this hearing no. And that is this sort of legislative bullying that they may experience in their states. They may have heard in these halls is not where the majority of people in this country are. In fact, the vast majority of people see right through it, and dont like that bullying. I agree with you. You may or may not know this. But, there are more republican, and far right bills moving through legislatures. And through different bodies across the country then there are actually trans kids in youth playing in sports across the country. So, the attacks that are happening we should be ashamed of. And as a reminder as i can include half of trans, and non binary use struggle with thoughts of suicide every single year. And thats what this hearing should be about versus the attacks on trans athletes. Again, this is a hearing about women protecting women, and protecting title ix. Its not against any group. But, with that i recognize mr. Langworthy for five minutes. Thank you chair mclean for holding his hearing. I cant believe i have to say this here today. But, biological males competing in womens sports is fundamentally unfair. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle time, and can tell us to follow, and trust the science. Yet, we are having to debate on the subject in which science has proven definitively that males have a physiological advantage over women. Including body size, greater muscle mass. Larger hearts. But just in the. These differences create significant performance gaps between postpubescent. These are the facts and those who claim otherwise or threatening the integrity of title ix in the ability of women to compete on an equal Playing Field. The department of educations proposed rule inflates transects with gender identity, and black schools from adopting and enforcing policies that altogether been transgender students competing on teams consistent with their gender identity. This move sacrifices the integrity of sports denying the importance of maintaining a level Playing Field for all athletes. Ms. Perry, you previously wrote that rather than clarifying title ixs application to transects based criteria. Can you elaborate on that . And make something that was previously very cut, and dry. Very simple, and for which there are five decades of jurisprudence, and congressional history. And suddenly likes to pretend that we dont understand what this definition of sex was. In fact, this particular law that we discussed today was a result of 250 different versions between house, and senate bills. And months, and months of negotiation. So, to say that somehow sex when it was adopted was somehow ambiguous. Ambiguous is just patently untrue. So, what weve seen even after title ix was amended in 1987 with the civil rights review act. Restoration act. There was specifically an opportunity to again, go back to the drawing board. To expand the definition of sex. To include gender identity. This is about at bottom. The rule of law. The constitution, and congressional authority. The Biden Administration cannot without a stroke of a pen unilaterally redefined long standing federal law without going through the appropriate process. Thank you. And your profound dedication to sports including your 10 years of swimmer at kentuckys womens teams. It speaks volumes. Even your extensive experience. You fear of the Biden Administration redefines title ix to encompass gender identity , that it might deprive young women of academic and athletic prospects that they rightly deserve . Of course. As weve seen again at least the past year and a half since i really started noticing this issue after i was directly impacted by it. We are seeing this as a trend, and its an exponential trend. Again, only going one way. And that is adversely affecting women. I believe if the Biden Administration pursues this rewrite, it equates sex with gender identity this would most certainly negatively harm women. As per the Washington Post womens sports have seen an incredible surge growing over 1000 over the last 50 years. As many have said 3 million participants in 2022. Do you share the concerns that allow biological men to dominate women sports much discourage women, and girls from pursuing athletic skater 12, and Higher Education . Thats slowly. Its not only necessarily the domination aspect. It is the safety aspect. It is the fear of speaking out. It is the locker room aspect. Those are all contributors to ultimately discouraging women from playing sports. And i want to say too its not about domination. A male playing in the womens team. Even if he places dead last its still taking a roster spot. Is still taking an opportunity away from a deserving woman. Its not all about domination, but yes i certainly believe this issue does discourage women from playing sports. Thank you. This intrusion threatens to undermine hardfought progress, and deter future generations from embracing the opportunities sports offer. With my remaining time i want to turn back to you ms. Perry. What more can congress do to ensure that the Biden Administration is not able to radically alter title ix . A couple of things. First, if this will is published this chamber has 60 days to be able to vote on a Congressional Review Act challenge, and disprove the law. Encourage the individuals who are forthright, and brave with acreage is still spine to be able to do just that. If for some reason a Congressional Review Act challenge fails, it goes through to the federal register im quite certain there are a number of individual Public Interest law firms that are ready to file suit. And in the interim this chamber, as well as the Upper Chamber should consider passing legislation. Specifically, to keep sex separated , and distinct by biological sex. Many of this in this community. He will directly bear the consequences of another ministration that chooses to ignore a scientific reality. The clear and biological differences between men, and women. We cannot stand by, and allow radical policies to trample on common sense. Thank you. The chair now recognizes ms. Luna for five minutes. I like to make a point of order. Subcommittee will suspend. I identify with my pronouns as states, and states. Thus, i must. From the record. The committee will suspend. The point of order is not timely due to intervening debate after the words were set. Point of order is overruled. Thank you. Miss gaines, are you familiar with the name Caitlyn Jenner . I am. Can you tell me real quick, because we are on time here who Caitlyn Jenner is. Yes. Caitlyn jenner is formerly bruce chen or who of course was, and still is one of the worlds most renowned, and accomplished athletes competing in the mens decathlon. Winning gold medals, and world records. But, now of course has transitioned. Identifies as Caitlyn Jenner, and is not competing in sports anymore. Competitively. Are you aware that Caitlyn Jenner has come out against men competing in womens sports . I am. What you think Caitlyn Jenner did that . Given the fact that hes an athlete himself. Was an athlete. I believe he understands the differences between men, and women. And given the fact that he has also transitioned i believe he understands the struggles that come with gender dysphoria, and what that looks like. Has weighed the differences between the two, and still sees a fundamental unfairness about allowing men into womens sports. Is a member of congress, we are in charge of putting together the guidelines for our offices. Specifically, referencing Sexual Harassment. Would you consider exposing to someone who doesnt want to see that Sexual Harassment . Do you feel that youve been sexually harassed as a result of biological men competing, and having to undress in front of you and other women in the locker room question mark i do. I can come in on consensually being exploited in front of a fully naked, and fully intact male. I believe that meets the definition of Sexual Harassment. Have you ever been physically attacked by standing up for womens rights in sports . I have. Can you name the biological sex is of those that attacked you . They were men that were dressed as women. They were males that were dressed as women. So, you were attacked by men . Can you let me know whether or not Law Enforcement press charges . There were no charges pressed. The university actually, this was at San Francisco state university. University in the days following. The next day after this attack took place. Again, i was held for ransom for four hours with the Police Actually being held for ransom in the same room with me. The university released a statement. It was dr. Jamila moore. Was the Vice President of Student Affairs at San Francisco state university. She released an email to their entire student body saying she was so proud of their brave students for handling me, in the manner that they did. Applauded them, and then gave them counseling resources to help cope with my presence on their campus. Do you think that there should be accountability for a man who hits women . Up slowly. Do you feel that you are personally being basically outed by even some members appear, because of the fact that youre standing up for womens sports . Yes. I believe being called trance phobic for saying that Women Deserve privacy. That we deserve safety. Do we deserve equal opportunities. We deserve to maintain our dignity. I believe that is certainly an attack on my character for sure. I would just like to clarify for the record. I do believe in a womans fight for right for selfdefense. As someone who has personally applied for my concealed carry i think you should do the same. Obviously, youre being attacked. I think that would be a great second debate here with House Oversight. But, i think that something you should consider doing. Being that youve received threats because of what youre doing currently. Im way ahead of you. I just want to close out by saying this. Up here especially, being a new mother. I find it ironic that people champion rights are now throwing someone like him under the bus. I just want to say for the record there is no such thing as a birthing person. Its called the mother. Theres no such thing as chest feeding. Its called breastfeeding. And finally, there is no such thing as equality for women if youre attempting to eliminate them some from sports. The chair now recognizes mr. Sessions for five minutes. Chairman, thank you very much. Thank you for holding this hearing. I would like to, if i could engage at least ms. Perry, and misses russell. As coaches, and people who have been in the sport for a huge number of years. Youve recognized the ncaa, and their authority over sports. As it conducts itself. What i believe is they always try to create fairness. Whether its bedding. Whether its hundreds of rules, and regulations about recruiting. Things that they have rolls on, e literally capital a to z. If i called it d1 i think used to be a d2 school. Its now a d1 school. I was the one or two athlete. And went through a number of rules, and regulations of right, and wrong. Good, and bad. How things work. And i had been used to that as one of my sons is a recruited d1 athlete. The ncaa has a lot of governments. And they always tend to know the answer. And they always tend to have a rule governing what i think is fairness. But, also safety. This seems like to me the ncaa. If there the governing body over what occurs over the ncaa meets. Or, matches. Should be very concerned about this. What do you believe . Where do you believe they have failed to provide guidance, and governance . And safety in this issue . Either one of you, please. I can say specifically the ncaa has kicked the ball down the road as it were. They have decided to leave leadership of the governing sports organizations to their own rules. Developing whether or not individuals need for example testosterone suppression. Or, whether or not sports can be separated by biological sex. Unfortunately, the ncaa has significant influence. Their membership. Their ranking system is sort of a damocles. Were the other athletic organizations. The managing bodies, and institutions that want to maintain their ranking. Whether thats d1, d2, or d3. So, to fail to make a unified policy. Maintaining sex separated spaces as the ncaa has recognized for years. Its ultimately made it harder for College Administrators who are now faced with the choice of do we forgo our ranking . Do we forgo the revenue that comes with it . Or, do we essentially told what is coming from the federal governments partyline that sex equals gender identity. So, you believe they are being let in this case by the federal government . I think it is setting the tone for the entire nation. Ms. Russell . I would agree with ms. Perry. The ncaa has passed the buck. I went on their website, and look at every single sport to see what each sports policy was. Many of them were the 10 animals of testosterone level. The one that had the strictest rules against biological males were triathlon, and water polo. So, if you want your daughters to have the best chance to play put them in triathlons, and water polo. Otherwise, good luck. Well, it seems to me that the ncaa has failed in what i believe is overburden some governance that they have failed in this. Ms. Gaines, you and i spoke last august in colorado. And you were still very appropriately really shocked, and surprised that this even happened without your notice. Without your consent. Without the coaches being aware. And you considered it to be an assault. Im going to use those terms. That you were faced with a male in a locker room. And it is true that i think that there should have been some understanding that they were going to take advantage of you, and the things that were of norm. Have you clarified your or, would you clarify your ideas now about how you felt with this . Just as you said. I do believe it was an assault. To sum it up in words here. Of course, dressing next to a male who is also undressed. Of course, its awkward. Its embarrassing. Its uncomfortable. But, i believe the best words to describe this. Of course, its other violation. Its betrayal by the people who were in place to protect us. Or, at least supposed to protect us. And i believe the best word is traumatic. And not even necessarily traumatic, because what we were forced to see. Or, how we were forcibly exploited. It was traumatic for me, and my teammates to know how it was for those people in power who created these policies to dismiss our rights to policy without even a second thought. Without even bare minimum forewarning us. I want to thank each of you for being here today. Madam chairman thank you very much. The chair now recognizes the chairman of judiciary you did mr. Jordan. I want to thank all our witnesses for being here as well. It seems to me there are sort of two problems here. Theres a fundamental problem. Which is letting them compete against women in sports is crazy. I love what governor Huckabee Sanders said in response to the state of the union. She said the divide in America Today is normal versus crazy. It is crazy to think its okay to let guys compete against girls in sports. That is a given. Whole country knows that. But, im also more concerned. Just as concerned with what happens if you speak out against it. Which is exactly what happened to ms. Russell. Because ms. Russell. My understanding is you coach what . First were division i athletes. Is that right . Division i lacrosse player. Then you coached for 27, 28 years the first question i cannot somebody come in off the street. If at all kinds of success. He won awards. I think you run the National Program at summer i read in your thing. So, youre an accomplished coach. But, because you said what was normal you got fired. Is that right . Because i said what was normal. It was like not liked. And i was canceled. Yeah. He were canceled. You werent allowed to coach anymore. They moved to somewhere else. They will do some rails in the athletic department. Or, in the university at overland. I always tell people dont think they would come after you. Because youre not some crazy white right right wing conservative republican. Youre just a coach. In fact, you even used the term. Here the hippie love coach . Thats not exactly how you describe republicans. This is your words. Youve been nicknamed the hippie love coach. He work with all your student athletes. Even some who are transgendered question mark yes. I coached three transgender students. And in my support after i spoke out i have had many men. Many lesbians, and a group of Transgender Athletes. And people who arent athletes let me know that they support this. They support that womens sports should stay female only. And they were willing to confide in you, because they trusted you. They knew you were there to help the student athlete. They understood that. But, that wasnt good enough. This is the part that is so frightening. Its never good enough for the left. Its always got to be every single thing they want. Or, were coming after you. Even if youre the hippie love coach. Theyre coming after you, and thats what they did to you. This is how the cancel culture mob operates. So, this is bigger. As bad as what ms. Gaines described that she had to go through. If i remember your story right, ms. Gaines. You won but you werent able to be number one. That enough as that is. This attack on the First Amendment, and your right to speak out against that is just as bad and just as scary. Thats across the board. I tell people all the time. You have five liberties on the First Amendment. The right to practice your faith. Your right to assemble. The right to petition the government. The most important one by far is your right to talk, because if you cant talk you cant practice your faith. You can share your faith. You cant petition your government. And he spoke out against something that anyone with any common sense knows is ridiculous, and they came after you. Thats why this panel, and chairman. This panel, and subject is so important. Because its fundamental to who we are as a country. You cant have a country if youre only allowed to say what the left says is okay. For people to stand up, and defend that. You know. I wouldnt be able to be here for all of this. But, my guess is youre defending this idea that guys can compete against girls. Maybe not. I didnt hear it. Dont think they will come after you at some point too. Heres how bad the left is. Dianne feinstein, liberal iconic senator for the left wasnt even good enough for the left. It was the Dianne Feinstein elementary. They went back, and found something she said 30 years ago and said we have to rename the school. If they can go after ms. Russell. 27 years coaching for saying something everyone knows is true , they can come after anybody. And that is a dangerous world to live in. I didnt mean to speak that long. Actually wanted to let you guys talk. If you guys want to see something go right ahead. I think what we are seeing is sort of this philosophical devolution on truth. Weve gone from an ontological perspective on truth. Truth is truth no matter how you feel. To a consequentialist approach on truth. The truth is truth. So long as it doesnt hurt your feelings. The law doesnt care about feelings. The law is the law so we have a method of american constitutional governance. And title ix, and the constitution are very kind, and dry. It doesnt matter whose feelings are hurt. And if there are less than 1 of individuals in the country who are transgender as representative garcia mentioned. Why the urgency . From the Biden Department of education to suddenly upend 50 years of civil rights protections for biological women who benefit from title ix. That is throwing the entire canon of civil rights law on its head. Thank you well. Thank you. The chair now recognizes ms. Green for five minutes. Thank you. Thank you chairwoman maclean for holding this hearing. Its extremely important. I say that not only is a former athlete. But, also a very proud mother of a daughter who played her entire life. Earned her d1 scholarship to her sport which was softball. Im so proud of her. Proud of her records, and im also very grateful. She never had her opportunities. Her records she said, stolen from a biological man trying to replace her. Beat her. To dominate her in her sport. So, im very thankful. I cant believe were here though. I cant believe are holding a hearing today. As a matter fact that you believe many things. Today we have something called gender affirming care in our country. Which is really cutting off the body parts of people in order to make them feel like they are another gender. Which is completely wrong. And this is something being pushed on kids. Cutting off their breasts. Castrating them. Which will really lead to lifelong, the ability dictating debilitating conditions. Hopefully, not suicide. But, unfortunately that is the case. Reproductive health care has been mentioned here. Even the term reproductive justice. Which is really Capital Punishment for innocent babies. Theres nothing reproductive about abortion. Its murder. But, one thing i like to talk about right now is a gallant pole that was done in may of 2023. 69 estate Transgender Athletes should play on teams that match their birth gender or biological sex. But, guess what . Thats actually gone up, because the left is losing the battle. Because in 2020. In may of 2020 the exact same gallup poll was done. And it was only 62 the degree the Transgender Athletes should play on teams that match their birth gender of biological sex. So, watching biological men dominating real women in sports is moving americas opinion to defend biological women. And title ix. This is a losing issue for democrats, because america fully agrees we have to protect womens sports. In 2013 the National Womens law center tweeted, what have sportsmen to you are a girl you know . Tweeted with the hashtag, and then you put a hashtag. You responded. National girls, and women in sports. Im grateful to tennis. It is my latenight outlet i still play 20 years after high school. Do you still play tennis . Knotwell anymore. My knees struggle. But, its a great sport. And its always fun. And you mentioned youre a fan of Serena Williams. Is that right . I am. Im a williams sister fan. Im a tennis fan. Im actually a fan of most sports. I grew playing sports. And in a family that understood that there is so much value and playing sports whether youre the best are not the best. I agree with you. Im a fan of Serena Williams too. I think shes strong. I think shes powerful coming and i think shes beautiful. In 2013 Serena Williams stated if i were to play andy murray i would lose 60. 60 in 5 to 6 minutes. Maybe 10 minutes. No, its true. Its a completely different sport. The men are a lot faster. They serve harder. They had party harder. Its just a different game. It sounds like she doesnt think she could beat men either. But, lets talk about some of your comments. You said this is attacking, and dehumanizing on trans. How do you think ms. Gaines felt . Do you think she felt dehumanized being forced to undress in front of men in her sports . Or, attacked . Thats a yes or no question. Being forced to undress in front of a man isnt that dehumanizing . I actually think this is really, really important. The issue of privacy in locker rooms, and in bathrooms. So, you feel like ms. Gaines shouldve had privacy . You can put up a curtain. You can put up a door. I reclaim my time. Ms. Gaines, did you feel attacked, and dehumanized . I certainly did. And in the swimming locker rooms there are no curtains. There are no stalls. There are no doors. But, there could be. I reclaim my time. That would be restructuring how ive completed my entire 18 years of competing. From what weve described in this hearing today as such a small percentage of the population. We would restructure, and uproot what we are used to, and what works . And allows us to be i think we can all agree on locker room in general is not a comfortable place. Even of course undress in front of all women. But, growing up a swimmer in that environment for 18 years of my life. You become comfortable being vulnerable in the environment. And my teammates, and my competitors we had our vulnerability stripped from us by the leaders of the ncaa. And again, those who implemented this policy. Thank you. The chair now recognizes mr. Burchett for five minutes. Thank you for bringing this important matter to our attention. Ms. Gaines. In your experience to the biological men competing in womens sports start competing before after taking hormones . I guess it depends. But, ive certainly seen both ways. What guidelines is a national ncaa have regarding male and female students being treated with testosterone suppression . Well, from 2010 to 2022 they had a blanket policy in place for all sports saying just 12 months of hormone replacement therapy. You compete with the team that aligns with your gender identity. But, now the ncaa. And i think this is incredibly telling. They are in a phaseout approach. Meaning, they want nothing to do with the topic. Which i think is again, if they wholeheartedly stood by the fact that they believed males could be women and become the same as women, they would stand by their policy. But, theyre not. They want to leave the responsibility, and credibility up to each specific sport governing body. I believe there in phase three or so of this approach, it should be done by 324 2025. Again, i dont know the exact statistic. But, every single man ive seen competing at the collegiate level in the womens category level in the womens category testosterone have from the fact through early exposure . Of course. Ms. Gaines, another question. Once america starting competing on a wednesday into the ever switch back to compete on male teen . Not that ive seen the actual i will say the was a Half Marathon runner or a marathon runner who just won the open category in the Nonbinary Division at the boston marathon. Again, a identifying as a woman has computed this year alone in the mens, womens and open category. Ms. Graves, 20222 twitter may be at the trans laws are not about protecting womens sports. Thats not true. These laws are not only take to protect womens sports but women. Last year a biological mirror plate on it womens Volleyball Team spiked a highspeed bulk into a girls face causing a concussion. I believe i have a video to show that. Just rifled it right into her head. Thats not the only example. Recently, in the field hockey game and best use as a biological male had a female player in the face reportedly knocking her teeth out. Another instance three female rugby players were injured by aa biological male frail a template. These are not just rare where a gorgeous. You can find them all over the place even in tennessee if you were to look close enough. Ms. Graves, you have any concerns at all about biological males competing in womens sports and injuries, sports in drinking a . I have deep concern to rent injuries generally in sports and a think the answer for this body is if theyre interested in the sorts of resources that reduce injuries spitted but i mean ive been a higher among biological i mean, the thing is, i know this is hard to hear, the people who play sports, that injury is a part of it. And it is unfortunate and yet people still play because they love it. They love plank yes, but when you take away their ability to compete against im talking please. I apologize but would you take root their abilityts to compete, some of the source of her biologically that that is d made them, disrupted talk to some folks appear but thats just the way it is and it is not fair. So that was basically yes to my question and i want no, it, i dont think it was. I think what i was trying to say that im concerned about injuries in sports. And i think thereca are things o do to reduce injuries in sports, and Additional Resources to ensure things like coaching, to ensure things like equipment are more equal let me stop may actually reduce injuries that girls across the country face because they play sports. Yes, but they dont play Contact Sports against men. Ms. Gaines would you care to comment . Yes, yes, i have so you ae allowing men into womens sports of course increases the severity and the greater likelihood of women getting injured. To ignore that is entirely disingenuous. Let me add one more point about this ncaa championship ever take i find it interesting that we havent talked about in this committee. In the same before leah thomas of course a identifying as woman we had another trans athletes who was a female identifying as a mentor we were told when to refer to this person using he and pronouns. I i guess i wish were more democratic members on the committee because i love to ask just plain simple the question of to be believed that that person we were forced to compete against from yale identifies as isaac should compete against the men . Why did this person compete with the women . If i can answer that question is because easy isaac will never be able to compete at the same level against the mail. So not only were we faced i guess facing discrimination against male athletes, we also hadag a female identifying as an competing with the women which have no problem with if there was no testosterone being taken. Thank you all. Thank you ladies. There are democrats onn this committee. They just chose not to be a because this is obviously such an obvious answer to these questions. Thank you, chair beatty. The chairve recognizes mr. Lamalfa for five minutes. Thank you, madam chair. I appreciate you will not get to sit in on the committee here today. Its a lot of contentious discussion here today. Weve seen a lot of namecalling, people referring to people with different ideas or disagreements is some type of phones, transpose or homophobes or whatever. Thats not really a place where you have ideas for discussion about differences on important issues. So i have even seen in my home state of california where parents would want to talk to their children about if they are feeling, feelings of wanting to associate with another jenna, for example. Our California Legislature has shut down our ability for kids to have counseling. So if theres phones on this, i saw at thent beginning of the hearing ms. Gaines was moved by a democrat member to have a worse taken down because she cared to disagree with the namecalling that was then called her. Instead poem back and say may be you are a misogynist for not agreeing, you know . So its pretty discouraging that you can have a rational conversation here. Or even counseling for kids in california. It looks a lot like a question for ms. Graves there. Now you with present of what is known as the National Womens law center, right . Correct. We saw this report where a girl on a school trip was forced to share at bed in a hotel rooi guess for expediency, i think she was a seventh grade and of what was probably about seventh grade. Does it seem like at that age and what with the parents think about it let alone what with the girl think about that . Is that a policy that your organization would support . Im sorry, i dont, im struggling to understand the example youre talking about. There was a school a school of the policy a generic policy what would you think that . I would advise that schools public whether students to share beds. Well i mean i dont may be for expediency boys with boys, girls with girls. In this case because he wanted to protect identity they forced his goal to be in a situation sharing with a boy. Doesnt seem like like a go you . Are you trying to call a transgendered or a boy . On just fine understand the example you are giving me. In any event spitted you know what im talking about. So heres what i would say. I would if i schools do not have students share beds. I would advise schools to be really clear in this case the required, thats what they did and required i would advise against simon said that is not a good idea to pick schools have obligation lets move to a different in general it doesnt sound like thats for womens and girls safety. Schools have longstanding obligations. Harassment, and could be conditions where students can thrive. In general it doesnt sound like for gross, and womens safety. I have not heard your organization yet to speak out organization yet to speak out dehumanized torture of women. Would you like to clarify how they would feel aboutsh that . Race conflict coming out what happened is horrific and devastating and awful. They really have not expressed anything as your organization would go against what hamas did . I should be clear, i dont support this but i also dont do global work, i work in the United States. Im wasting my time, i am reclaiming my time. It is horrific in any setting. I am reclaiming my time. This is soork important. He has reclaimed his hand. Stuff that happened in San Francisco, let me talk about when you have Transgender Athletes participating in a sport and talk to him or males, they qualify for scholarships and pursue things that national meets from us what does it feel like today want to boycott games where there are males playing orderly want to give up altogether, what do they do for womens sports . Its a mix. Some women would love to boycott but beside a scholarship so there is fear of ellie schneck is the school and some women discourage they fit picking up again the case was lia thomas, it is of course my experience, the university of princeton had 13 quit entirely and stopped playing. Having to deal with this time and time again and after talking with them, they stated they quit because they were objected to allowing men in the locker room. They feel they are violated and set of boards, is that could for executive . To allowing men their sports, and locker rooms. If girls want to share a better locker room. If they feel like theyre being violated, and they finally sit out the sport. Is that really good, for example, executives. 94 of executives have been in women sports. Probably not good for them. The gentlemans time has expired. Thank you. Thank you. In closing i want to thank all of you very much for taking time out of your day to be here today. I want to thank you for your testimony. I know its heartfelt, and i appreciate it. It means a lot to me as a mother. As an athlete. As a coach. As a woman. So, thank you for being here. I now want to close, and i want to yield to the Ranking Member ms. Lee for her closing remarks. Thank you madam chair. First, i want to seek unanimous consent to enter into the record this statement by the National Center for transgender equity. A recurring theme. Thank you. A recurring theme for our republican colleagues, and their witnesses is that trans girls are more likely to injure other players during sports. I think to read a statement by a transfemale High School Rugby player. And i quote, at five foot seven and approximately 140 pounds i would go up against other women from 53, 100 pound players who were quick, and agile. 250 pound woman who were nearly double my size. She continued, and i quote. Entering a scrimmage a few weeks later i had my arm broken in the collision with a cisgender player. Well unfortunately i cant help but chuckle, because my experience is the opposite of narratives playing on unfounded fears. That assist gender women face a higher risk of injury from transgendered women on the field. My colleagues are grasping at straws for arguments, and support. They are transforming, and dangerous stereotypical views of womens bodies. I think this hearing has shown how vital immediate action is to protect our transgender young people. On april 6th, 2023 the department of education announced a proposed revision to title ix. The regulations on the students eligibility for ethnic teams. The demonstration proposed for revision line will prevent institutions that receive federal funding that require. That would limit or deny a students ability to participate in a male or female Team Consistent with their gender identity. This proposed revision must be finalized. Weve seen how without these protections, title ix can be weapon iced transgendered students. During her time running the department of education secretary of loss repeatedly leverage title ixs prohibition of discrimination to rollback protections for trends transgender student athletes. For example in may 23 the department of education prevented a Connecticut High School from maintaining its policy. Allowing transgendered students to participate in athletics on a team corresponding to their gender identity. In another case from 2020. The department successfully forced Franklin Pierce University Transgender participation and inclusion policy. Despite the policies compliance with the ncaa guidance for Transgender Athletes. We need a permit of education to be able to stand up, and defend our transgender students. Because they like all willing young people deserve to participate in young sports. Transgender youth participate in sports for the same reason as everyone else. To build, and nurture friendships. Increase selfesteem, and develop crucial skills like teamwork, and discipline. Equal access to School Programs go handinhand with academic excellence. The Trevor Project found that had significantly higher grades than there transgender, and on binary peers who do not participate in sports. You do not have to be an expert on what it means to be transgender to understand that singling out a small group of youth who simply want to participate with their peers is not how we, as elected officials should be spending our time. These youth already faced stigma, and bullying. And these attacks only exacerbate those challenges. Youth sports should be open to all, and policing the bodies or appearances of our youth hurts everyone. The nt transports bills being signed into law is across the country seem to create a problem that doesnt exist. All for the sake of perpetuating hate against vulnerable groups. This is an about preserving competition in sports. Its a way to mobilize wouldbe voters by turning trans rights into a political football. I encourage the department of education to prioritize finalizing this proposed revision to protect our transgender youth. And i encourage my republican colleagues to stop picking on kids. Think humorously. I am here to protect women, girls. My god, why do i have to apologize for that . We spent decades trying to protect women. You know what . We won. We won. I will not apologize now or ever for trying to protect my daughter and women in sports. Thats what this hearing was about. Protecting women. I am a woman and let me tell you, hear me roar. I will not stop protecting women. You want to know why . Because we have rights. Women have rights. Our daughters have rights. Let me be explicitly clear on that. I will never stop protecting our daughters. I will never stop protecting women. That is my job as a mother and it is the right thing to do. This hearing today has been extremely informative and heartbreaking. Frankly, i am mystified by the Biden Administrations shameless failure to protect womens rights. We talk about protecting womens rights like it such a bad thing. Like it so evil to protect womens rights. Have we lost our mind . The administrations proposed title ix will will rewind decades of progress in womens rights. The Biden Administration is weakening title ix by allowing all males who identify as women to participate in womens sports. Identify as women. How about just be a woman . Why cant i protect my women . Why cant i protect my daughters . Title ix was implemented by congress to give women equal Educational Opportunities including within federally funded School Athletic programs. We are not there. Do we have a lot of work to do . You are right that we do but if this language gets in by the Biden Administration it will definitely not help women. I can assure you that. It will not help us on the progress route. The Biden Administrations role would eliminate womens sports as we know it. That is a fact. You know how it starts . It starts little by little by little by little. Its called the salami mentality. It starts with just a little and before you know it look at the system. As we have discussed today, the Biden Administration has no legal grounds to support this rule. Congress is the nations lawmaking body, not unelected bureaucrats and the administration. In a world where biological males compete in womens sports, women lose access to roster spots. It is true. Its not about your feelings. It is the fact. Women lose. Championships, records and scholarships. It is just a fact. Im sorry if it doesnt fit your narrative but it is a fact. Women face serious injuries from Contact Sports with physically biological males. Dont let the facts get in the way of a good story. Women face Emotional Trauma of exposure to biological males and spaces that should be safe and private for women like the locker room. Why should women have to change all the time . It would have been nice if we got a little heads up about having a biological male competing. It wouldve been nice to have a heads up and then maybe we could put the curtain up but we dont even bother to tell anybody. What about defending our women . What about defending our daughters. Dont i have a right . I say, yes i do. These proposed rules will do nothing to preserve the safety or fairness of womens sports. This is about protecting girls and women. Is about protecting our daughters, sisters, nieces, and granddaughters. Lisa mclean is here to fight for them. That is why i have drafted a bill the save womens sports act to protect sports and fair competition across the nation. Remember title ix that we fought so hard for . My bill prohibits any school or university that receives federal funding from allowing biological males from participating in womens sports. So you can do it. We are just not finding it. If schools violate the provision of the bill they lose access to all federal funding. You can be who you want to be but the American People dont have to fund it. Especially since about 70 of them actually agree with me. Simply put, this will stop the pattern of unremarkable male athlete that switch to womens sports and suddenly come in first place. Been like those we have heard stories about. I ask my colleagues to join me in protecting womens sports by signing this bill. Enclosing, i want to thank our panelists once again for your brave and important testimony today. Im sure you will get canceled and im sure i will get canceled but that tells me i am doing the right thing. Thank you for sharing your stories. I do appreciate it. With that, without objection all members have five legislative days with which to submit materials and additional written questions for the witnesses which will be forwarded to the witnesses. If theres no further business without objection the subcommittee stands adjourned. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] the u. S. Senate is back for the fit vote of the year, lawmakers are expected to rate today after 2 00 p. M. Eastern to advance pre bidens nomination of john to the u. S. District judge was uncontest xas. The house returned tuesday 6 30 p. Etern and numbers will go touorum to begin work in the second session in the 118 congress. Watch live coveragenspan, see the senate on cspan2, a reminder you can watch coverage with the freeid up a standout or online at cspan. Org. 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