Two congressional Democrats seeking to win “toss-up” Senate contests in states won by President Donald Trump are co-sponsoring legislation that would eliminate female-only spaces and infringe on the right of girls and women to compete against only members of their own sex in sports.
Democratic Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff and Democratic Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens, who voted against legislation to bar biological males from women’s sports earlier this year, are backing the Equality Act, a bill that would make “gender identity” a protected class under federal anti-discrimination law. The candidates’ decision to support the far-reaching legislation comes as Republicans accuse the two lawmakers of catering to left-wing gender ideology that is at odds with their own voters.
Nearly 70% of Democrats or participants who “lean Democrat” oppose biological males participating in women’s sports, according to a New York Times survey conducted between Jan. 2 and Jan. 10.
Ossoff, who is viewed as the most vulnerable Democratic incumbent seeking reelection, is currently running unopposed in Georgia’s Democratic primary. Stevens entered a contested Democratic primary field in April to vie for an open Michigan Senate seat following Democratic Michigan Sen. Gary Peters’ decision to not seek reelection.
In Georgia, 73% of voters told a pollster in January they would support the state government banning transgender athletes from women’s sports. Republican Governor Brian Kemp signed legislation, dubbed the Riley Gaines Act, to protect women’s sports in April.
Despite a majority of voters appearing to reject the Democratic Party’s stance on transgender issues, Ossoff and Stevens appear to be toeing the party line.
Ossoff and Stevens are among the 47 Senate Democrats and 214 House Democrats supporting the latest rollout of the Equality Act, which congressional Democrats introduced for the fifth time on April 29. The legislation passed the House in May 2019 and February 2021 under the leadership of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but did not clear the Senate’s 60-vote legislative filibuster.
The Equality Act would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prevent discrimination on the basis of “sexual orientation and gender identity.” The legislation would force schools to open female-only spaces to biological males who identify as transgender girls, including sports teams, according to analysis from the Heritage Foundation.
“As Republicans across the country continue their assault on LGBTQ+ Americans – particularly the trans community – the fight against bigotry and discrimination remains as urgent as ever,” Pelosi said in a April 29 statement marking the Equality Act’s reintroduction.
Georgia and Michigan are seen as top pick-up opportunities for Senate Republicans during the midterms. Early analysis from the Cook Political Report rates both contests as “toss-ups.”
Trump bested former Vice President Kamala Harris in both swing states in November.
Stevens called on Congress to take up the Equality Act again in February two months prior to her Senate campaign announcement.
“As a member of the @EqualityCaucus, I’m celebrating 4 years since we last passed the Equality Act — the 119th Congress needs to bring it to a vote, it must become law,” Stevens wrote in a post on X.
Stevens also slammed legislation seeking to bar transgender athletes from women’s sports during a speech on the House floor in April 2023, characterizing the bill as “hateful.”
Former Republican Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers, who is viewed as the clear frontrunner for the Republican nomination, criticized Stevens for repeatedly failing to protect women’s sports and female-only spaces.
“Michiganders see Haley Stevens’ In-Equality Act for what it is: the radical left’s latest scheme to force boys into girls’ bathrooms and sports teams,” Rogers campaign spokesperson Alyssa Brouillet told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Meanwhile, Mike Rogers and President Trump are fighting to defend girls’ safety, privacy, and opportunity. Protecting girls’ sports and spaces is not only fair, it’s common sense.”
Ossoff, who ran on passing the Equality Act into law during his successful 2020 Senate campaign, has continued to oppose efforts to restrict transgender athletes from participating in girls and women’s sports.
The senator joined Senate Democrats in filibustering Republican Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act in March despite pressure from Georgia Republicans to support the bill.
Republican Georgia Rep. Buddy Carter, the first Republican candidate to jump into Georgia’s 2026 GOP primary following Kemp’s decision to pass on a run, came out swinging against Ossoff’s left-wing positions on transgender issues in his campaign announcement video.
“Last November Georgia spoke, but Jon Ossoff doesn’t care,” the video’s narrator states. “He fought against President Trump securing our border and voted for men in girls sports. Jon Ossoff is on the wrong side.”
Senate Leadership Fund, a Senate Majority Leader John Thune-aligned super PAC, has also targeted Ossoff for his votes against legislation to protect women’s sports. SLF’s issue advocacy arm, One Nation, ran a seven-figure ad buy to highlight Ossoff’s left-wing stance on women’s sports in April. The ad aired during several high-profile sports events, including the Masters tournament and the Final Four college men and women’s basketball games.
“Man-to-man defense isn’t woke enough for Ossoff. He’s for they/them,” the ad’s narrator says while a man purporting to be Ossoff dunks over a female basketball player.
Spokespeople for Ossoff and Stevens did not respond to the DCNF’s multiple requests for comment.
