These two Texas Democrats voted with House Republicans to pass transgender athletes ban

Two House Democrats on Tuesday sided with 216 Republican lawmakers to pass a ban on transgender athletes competing in women's sports.

The bill, introduced by Florida GOP Rep. Greg Steube, passed in a 218-206 vote that was mostly along party lines. But three Republicans and six Democrats did not vote on the measure, and North Carolina Democratic Rep. Don Davis voted "present."

Texas Democratic Reps. Vicente Gonzalez and Henry Cuellar both sided with the Republican majority. 

“I believe that there should be rules to keep our sports fair and that boys should not play in girls sports,” Gonzalez said in a statement reported by The Hill. “Members of Congress must have the freedom to vote in a manner representative of their district. As Democrats, we should not be afraid to vote our district’s values because we’re afraid of Washington.”

A spokesperson for Cuellar's office told the outlet that his decision was also based on feedback that he received from his constituents.

Other Democrats have cautiously voiced opposition for transgender student athletes competing on sport teams with biological women and girls. Democratic Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton told the New York Times last year that he does not want his two daughters to be run over by a biological male athlete, even though Democrats are not supposed to say so.

"Democrats spend way too much time trying not to offend anyone rather than being brutally honest about the challenges many Americans face," Moulton said. "I have two little girls, I don't want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat I'm supposed to be afraid to say that."

Moulton opposed the bill on Tuesday, and when the chamber passed it for the first time in 2023. 

The bill will now go to the GOP led Senate, where eight Democrats would need to vote with the chamber's 52 Republicans in order to bypass a filibuster. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.