Columbia Standard

U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, representing Illinois and serving as the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, addressed the Senate floor to oppose the "Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act." This Republican-backed bill proposes to withdraw federal funding from schools that permit transgender girls to join women's or girls' sports teams. Durbin criticized the bill for lacking a clear enforcement mechanism and potentially allowing physical inspections of female athletes if accused of being transgender by an opposing team member.

Durbin stated, “Put yourself in the shoes of these families for just a moment. Imagine being the parent of a trans kid and telling your child they are not allowed to play on the same sports team as their friends at school because a politician said they couldn’t.”

He highlighted the story of Harleigh Walker, a 16-year-old transgender girl from Alabama who spoke before the Senate Judiciary Committee about her experiences under laws targeting transgender youth. Walker shared her struggles, saying, “I want all of you to look at me, here and now, and hear my words. I am a very happy 16-year-old... I’m just trying to be a teenager in America... but I keep having to jump through hoops that other people my age don’t have to.”

Durbin emphasized the personal impact of such legislation by stating, “It’s that personal, it’s that important, and [because of Republicans,] we’re going to vote to give someone unspecified the right to physically inspect a girl or a young woman if the other opposing team accuses them of being transgender. My goodness.”

In his remarks, Durbin also referred to an inquiry he made during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with NCAA President Charlie Baker regarding the number of transgender collegiate athletes. Baker noted there are fewer than ten transgender athletes among over 500,000 NCAA participants.

Video footage and audio recordings of Durbin's statements on this issue are available for viewing.