On Politics

Thu Apr 20 2023

Hi, OnPolitics readers. Today the GOP-controlled House passed a bill barring transgender girls and women from playing on school athletic teams consistent with their gender identity.

The bill is unlikely to pass the Senate and would be vetoed by President Joe Biden.

But it's another sign that anti-trans messaging is a focus in the GOP's culture wars.

As USA TODAY politics reporter Ella Lee writes:

Though anti-trans issues have exploded as a key messaging strategy for Republicans, experts in politics and gender studies told USA TODAY that the issue may bolster the party's culture wars more significantly than its voter base heading into the next election.

"(Anti-trans messaging) is successful on the social level," said Alithia Zamantakis, a post-doctoral fellow at Northwestern University's Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing. "On a political level, it's not paying off as well."

Anti-trans legislation and rhetoric increased dramatically in 2023. Here's a deeper look at the issue:

🔎 Keep reading: Republicans lean into anti-trans messaging ahead of 2024. But will it mobilize voters?

🏀 What's in the bill?: More on the legislation, called the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act

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