Two Alabama Democrats, Representatives Shomari Figures and Terri Sewell, joined Republicans in voting for an amendment to the annual defense policy bill that would prohibit biological males from competing in women's sports at Department of War-run schools. This vote marks a significant shift for both lawmakers, who previously opposed similar legislation.
The amendment, sponsored by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., passed with bipartisan support from the Republicans present, while 202 Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, voted against it. Figures and Sewell had both voted against the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act in 2025, which aimed to prevent federally funded schools from allowing biological males in women's and girls' sports.
Figures, whose district was reconfigured by redistricting to include more Republican voters, is considered a top pickup opportunity for the GOP. The National Republican Congressional Committee has added him to its target list. Figures stated his position on transgender participation in women's sports has remained consistent, arguing that the 2025 bill he opposed would have endangered young girls by allowing for sex checks without safeguards. "As I have said before, I do not believe that men should be allowed to participate in women’s sports," Figures said.
Republicans criticized the Alabama Democrats' vote as politically motivated. NRCC spokesman Reilly Richardson suggested the move was a desperate attempt to appeal to voters ahead of the midterm elections, stating, "Alabamians know Figures and Sewell support Democrats' radical agenda of allowing men to compete in women's sports and will hold them accountable at the ballot box in November."
Other vulnerable House Democrats, including Reps. Don Davis of North Carolina, and Vicente Gonzalez and Henry Cuellar of Texas, also voted in favor of Mace's amendment. These lawmakers often vote with Republicans on certain bills. Davis, however, voted "present" on the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act.
Rep. Mace argued that her amendment was necessary to protect women's sports, stating, "Men are not women. Men will never become women. Yet male athletes are stealing medals, invading locker rooms, and putting girls in the hospital, all in the name of gender ideology. Our NDAA amendment would end this nonsense."
Public polling indicates a broader opposition to transgender athletes competing in women's sports. A New York Times/Ipsos poll from 2025 found that nearly 80% of Americans opposed biological males participating in women's sports, with about seven in ten Democrats or Democrat-leaning respondents agreeing with this sentiment.