WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) released the following statement after the Senate voted on the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which did not reach the 60-vote cloture threshold, failing to advance by a count of 51-45:

“This afternoon, the Senate voted on the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, federal ban on transgender women from participating in school and college athletic programs. This bill was introduced in response to an issue that has become politically polarizing throughout the country, even though it involves only a small fraction of student athletes. Under the bill, if a single Maine school district decided not to comply with this federal mandate, all federal education funding to the entire state would be lost.

“I understand the frustration around the issue of transgender athletes participating in women’s sports. Some students, parents and educators have concerns about a lack of ‘fairness’ and, among other things, safety issues, due to the physical differences between those born of different genders. Being the parent of a female high school athlete, I fully understand these concerns.

“However, if one school in Maine decided to include a single trans student one of their teams, schools across the entire state would lose access to critical funding which would be detrimental to all students, a result disproportionate to the impact of one transgender athlete at one school. While these are complex issues, considerations of fairness and safety in sports are made every day by parents, educators, and school administrators at the local level. We should keep it that way and allow local communities to decide what’s best for their districts and their students, and let states abide by the will of their citizens. In other words, I see this as a state’s rights issue which should not require a one-size-fits-all federal solution. Simply put, it is highly likely this legislation would hurt Maine and Maine students.

“Therefore, I am ultimately not comfortable conditioning all federal education funding on an issue that singles out such a small number of students nationwide — including here in Maine — and takes the decision-making power away from local communities.

“Finally, I find it odd that many of those supporting this legislation have exactly the opposite position when it comes to women’s reproductive choices — that that issue should be left to the states — while the question of transgender athletes requires a federal solution which overrides local control.”

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