Democratic Congresswoman Angie Craig has opposed two separate efforts to keep male athletes out of many female collegiate sports programs across the country.
Currently running to win a fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, Craig represents much of the south metro area in Minnesota. During her time in Congress, Craig has opposed multiple efforts to protect female athletes at educational institutions across the country.
In 2020, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard introduced legislation known as the “Protect Women’s Sports Act of 2020.” Among other things, the law would ban educational institutions that receive federal funds from allowing males to participate in female sports leagues.
Just one day after that bill was introduced, Congresswoman Craig put out a statement lambasting the Protect Women’s Sports Act of 2020 as “beyond the pale.” The Minnesota congresswoman also said the introduction of this legislation was “bigoted” and “appalling.”
“Queer and transgender women must stand together in the face of intolerance — and I am proud to do so today by emphatically denouncing this narrow-minded and hateful legislation, which is harmful not only to transgender women but to the LGBTQ Community at-large,” Craig said at the time.
While that bill ultimately did not advance in Congress, subsequent versions of the legislation have gained traction.
In 2023, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023.” Similar to the 2020 bill, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act would prevent educational institutions that receive federal funds from operating sports programs that allow men to participate in women’s sports.
In April of 2023, that bill was brought up for a vote in the U.S. House and was passed by a 219-203 margin. Congresswoman Craig was one of the individuals who voted against the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act.
Alpha News reached out to Congresswoman Craig’s campaign to ask why she opposed both of those bills. However, the Minnesota representative never responded.
Joe Teirab, Craig’s GOP opponent in this November’s election, recently highlighted a United Nations report which found that hundreds of women around the world have lost competition medals to males who compete in female sports leagues.
Men shouldn’t compete against women in sports. Common sense, right? It’s a simple fairness and safety issue, and this new UN report shows that hundreds of women around the world lost medals to biological men.
But @AngieCraigMN voted against the “Protect Women’s Sports Act”,… https://t.co/X1uwXu3ib1
— Joe Teirab (@JoeTeirab) October 24, 2024
“Men shouldn’t compete against women in sports. Common sense, right?” said Teirab. “It’s a simple fairness and safety issue, and this new UN report shows that hundreds of women around the world lost medals to biological men.”
For years, female athletes have attempted to call attention to the inherent dangers that exist in allowing men to participate in women’s sports leagues.
In August, several women who previously competed as collegiate swimmers testified before the Georgia Senate about having to share a locker room with and compete against a biological man who identified as a woman. In 2022, a female high school volleyball player, Payton McNabb, suffered a traumatic brain injury and partial paralysis when a male opponent spiked a volleyball into her head.
McNabb is now supporting USA Powerlifting at the Minnesota Supreme Court in defense of its policy of maintaining sex-specific leagues.
“I was partially paralyzed when a male, who identified as a female, spiked the ball at my head. Women simply cannot prepare for that type of playing environment. It cannot be the case that the law requires that we accept that as the price of playing women’s sports,” she said in a recent press release after filing an amicus brief with the court.
Situations in which men have unfairly won women’s sports events, or compelled women to simply forfeit competitions, have been documented throughout the country. In recent days, multiple female college volleyball teams have forfeited matches against San Jose State University’s team because one of its players is a biological male.
Alpha News asked Congresswoman Craig what she says to female athletes who have watched their sports events be destroyed by men who participate. Additionally, Craig was asked what she says to female athletes who neither feel safe competing in leagues that contain men, nor want to share a locker room with a man.
The congresswoman’s campaign did not respond.