FIRST ON FOX: One Republican senator is taking aim across the aisle at “wacko” Democrats who he says lack “common sense” when it comes to the issue of biological men participating in women’s sports.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., touted his and Florida Rep. Greg Steube’s recently introduced Protection of Women in Olympic and Amateur Sports Act, which would prevent men and women being forced to compete against each other, and something he lamented was even a topic of conversation.
“Can you believe we’re even talking about this? I mean, the insanity of what the Democrats are pushing on the American people,” Tuberville said. “They hate gender. They hate the nuclear family. They’re trying to destroy that. They’re trying to make it very, very tough for women, and I don’t understand it.”
GOP SENATOR FUMES OVER BIDEN ADMIN PROVIDING VETERAN MEDICAL RESOURCES TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) walks to a vote in the Senate Chambers at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 7, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
As a former college football coach, Tuberville said Title IX, a federal civil rights law enacted in 1972 prohibiting sex-based discrimination, was “probably the best thing to ever come out of Washington, D.C., because of how it evened the playing field concerning sports.”
However, he warned people were “going to get hurt” by mixing genders in certain sports, such as boxing, because “Democrats couldn’t care less” about protecting the opportunity for girls to safely participate.
Tuberville reintroduced the Protection of Women and Girls in Sport Act, an earlier version of his legislation, last year, but it failed in the Senate after passing the House with no support from Democrats. Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, blocked the bill when Tuberville tried to have it passed by unanimous consent.
The Juniata College Eagles celebrate after the winning point against the Hope College Flying Dutch during the Division III Women’s Volleyball Championship held at Roberts Pavilion on Dec. 2, 2022 in Claremont, California. (Justin Tafoya/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
This time, Tuberville says the bill might still end up being more about educating people on the issue of protecting women’s sports than actually winning over any Democrats to support it.
“Hey, folks, this is what’s happening. I mean, open your eyes to what these wackos are doing to our country, what they’re doing to women, what they’re doing to gender,” Tuberville said. “We’re going to lose little girls playing sports growing up.”
He said that there was still going to be a push to win over some Democratic support, but that the pending departure of retiring Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., would make that job a lot harder, unless Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., another moderate Democrat up for re-election this year, decided to support it.
WATCH: SUPER BOWL AD FEATURES MARINE DRILL INSTRUCTOR RUNNING MEMBERS OF CONGRESS THROUGH BOOT CAMP
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin questions Securities and Exchange Commission Chairmain Gary Gensler as Gensler testifies before the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee on July 19, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“We’re just looking for some common sense from Democrats. They fall in line like a bunch of ducks. They don’t look out for the American people. They don’t look out for their constituents. They vote as a group,” Tuberville said.
“One thing about our Republican group, we’ve got people that actually use their minds and common sense to vote for their people in their state. Sometimes I don’t agree with it, but, hey, that’s what you’re supposed to do. I vote for the people of Alabama, and I’m going to stand up for them because they need a voice,” he added.
