HARRISBURG – The Senate has approved legislation to protect the safety and opportunities of female athletes by requiring scholastic sports teams to be designated based on biological sex, Sen. Camera Bartolotta (R-46) said today.
Senate Bill 1293 would require public schools and colleges to label sports teams as male, female or coed. The legislation states only biological females can join teams designated for women. The bill would also allow students to take legal action if they are harmed by violations of this rule.
Since 2020 in Pennsylvania, men have taken first place from female athletes 87 times and took second or third place 64 times. Numerous instances have also been documented nationwide of biological male competitors causing catastrophic injuries to female athletes.
“This legislation protects common-sense values,” said Bartolotta. “We need to stick up for our girls by protecting athletic opportunities, fairness, and safety in competition.”
The legislation is similar to Senate Bill 9, which was passed by the Senate in May 2025 with bipartisan support. Since then, Senate Bill 9 has been delayed by procedural maneuvers by Democrat leaders in the House of Representatives, leaving young female athletes at risk.
According to the American College of Sports Medicine, males, on average, have larger hearts, more muscle mass, less percentage body fat and use energy more efficiently. This means for athletic events relying on endurance, strength, speed and power, males usually outperform females by 10–30% depending on the sport.
Recently, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) enacted new policy guidelines ensuring that all sporting events under their jurisdiction for any female category are limited to biological females only. Additionally, the IOC provided that after scientific review, they determined a sex-based eligibility rule is necessary and adequate to the attainment of their goals for competition.
The legislation will be sent to the House of Representatives, where action is urged.