The 119th U.S. Congress has signaled its intent to prioritize legislation prohibiting transgender athletes from participating in women's and girls' sports. This move comes as the House rules package for the new Congress outlines a bill to revise Title IX, stipulating that athletic participation be determined solely by an individual's biological sex assigned at birth.

This bill is slated to be the first of twelve considered, with allocated debate time. Its introduction follows a contentious election season where the inclusion of transgender athletes in women's sports became a central campaign issue, with then President-elect Donald Trump and his Republican supporters advocating for a complete ban.

Currently, half of U.S. states have enacted laws restricting or banning transgender athletes from women's sports, while the other half lack such regulations, with some, like California, actively promoting trans inclusion. However, even in states with restrictive laws, federal judges have at times overturned them, allowing biological males to compete on girls' teams.

Conversely, Democrats have backed legislation supporting transgender inclusion in sports at the national level, including the Equality Act and the Transgender Bill of Rights. This stance has drawn sharp criticism, particularly regarding a 2021 executive order by then President Biden addressing discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation in schools, including sports. While the administration asserted that the order didn't pertain to athletic eligibility, critics argued it would ultimately increase the presence of biological males in women's sports.

This issue emerged as a significant campaign vulnerability for Democrats in the past election, with exit polls revealing its importance to voters. Subsequently, some Democrats have retreated from their initial support, and a proposed rule change by the Department of Education penalizing schools for restricting transgender athletes' participation was abandoned.