AOC Lashes Out, Labels Republicans As ‘Bigots’ After House Votes To Ban Men From Women’s Sports

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) labeled 218 of her colleagues as “bigots” after the Republican-led House voted to ban male, “transgender-identifying” athletes from women’s and girls’ sports at federally funded schools and educational institutions. Two Democrats — Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez of Texas — joined House Republicans in voting yes. An additional Democrat, Rep. Don Davis of North Carolina, voted “present.” The legislation is expected to be taken up by the Republican-controlled Senate.

During the last session of Congress, House Republicans passed the bill by a margin of 219 to 203 in a vote that broke down strictly down party lines. The bill was not taken up by the Democrat-controlled Senate, however. This time around, Republicans are confident that the legislation will pass due to increasing public support for bans on men competing in women’s sports, as well as gender reassignment surgeries for minors. According to Gallup’s annual “values and beliefs” poll from 2023, 69 percent of Americans support a ban. A recent survey conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago this past summer found similar results, as 66% percent of respondents opposed the idea of men and boys competing in women’s and girls’ sports.

The bill would bar “transgender women and girls” from playing on sports teams that correspond with their “gender identity.” If passed, it would amend federal law to require that “sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth,” in regards to Tile IX policies in athletics. Title IX was meant to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or institutions that receive federal funding, though President Biden recently attempted to amend the law to award additional protections to transgender and LGBT individuals. The re-write was recently struck down by a federal judge, who ruled that the president overstepped his authority.

“This is a commitment that we have made because it comports with what is right and what is common sense. We know from scripture and from nature that men are men and women are women and men cannot become women. It’s sad that we have to say that. It’s a matter of biology, it’s how we’re made,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said after the bill passed on Tuesday. Johnson did note that not a single Democrat opted to support the bill last session, which could prevent potential hurdles this time around, as Republicans will need some support from Democrats in order for the bill to pass. “Biological men competing against women also poses a threat to the safety of our girls,” the House Speaker went on to say. “It”s dangerous, it’s unfair, it’s a rejection of reality, and it is just plain wrong. But today, the House voted to uphold common sense again. We voted to require all schools receiving federal funds to uphold the original meaning of Title IX, and keep biological men out of women’s sports.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) holds a press conference after the ban passed in the House for a second time

While House Republicans managed to flip two Democrats on the issue, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez was one of the most vocal opponents of the legislation while it was being debated on the House floor. “Here we are today, Republicans who have voted against, consistently, against the Violence Against Women Act, who have taken away the right of all women to choose and have control over their own body, in parking lots across the country, standing there, allowing us to die, now want to pretend today that they care about women,” the ‘Squad’ Democrat shouted.

She went on to accuse proponents of the bill of “attacking trans girls,” adding that she only has two words on the subject, “not today.”

“There’s no enforcement mechanism in this bill. And when there is no enforcement mechanism, you open the door to every enforcement mechanism. Trans girls are girls. And for all the folks that are so concerned, thank you for your concern about women for the first time,” Ocasio-Cortez continued to rant. She then insinuated that men and women are equal in terms of athletic ability, something she claimed to have learned from “gym class” and playing co-ed sports. “But what this also opens the door for is for women to try to perform a very specific kind of femininity for the very kind of men who are drafting this bill. And to open up questioning of who is a woman because of how we look, how we present ourselves, and yes, what we choose to do with our bodies. I know who loves this bill. Yes, bigoted folks love this bill. Assaulters love this bill.”

Despite opposition from AOC and her allies on the far-left, a growing number of Democrats have been questioning party messaging on the issue in the aftermath of President-elect Donald Trump’s re-election victory. Former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred stated that he was opposed to men competing in women’s sports during his unsuccessful campaign for U.S. Senate, while Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) drew the ire of fellow Democrats for questioning the party’s emphasis on social issues. “Democrats spend way too much time trying not to offend anyone rather than being brutally honest about the challenges many Americans face,” Moulton told the New York Times after the election. “I have two little girls, I don’t want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat I’m supposed to be afraid to say that.”

Despite his statement, Moulton voted against the legislation on Tuesday.