Republicans made the subject a central focus in a barrage of attack ads in the lead-up to the November election, spending nearly $215 million on the issue. The ads largely went unanswered by Democrats — a move several Democratic lawmakers said cost the party heavily in the congressional and presidential races. 

“Democrats have to continue to stand up for all Americans, full stop, period. I do think that we did not have a strong enough response in real time,” Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT), co-chairwoman of the Congressional Equality Caucus, said of GOP attack ads.

Now, Democrats are faced with their first post-2024 election legislative test on transgender rights — the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025, which would prevent schools from allowing biological males to compete in school athletic programs for women or girls. The government would withhold federal funding from schools in which biological men are allowed to compete in female-designated athletics.

The bill passed the House last Congress with no Democratic support. Now that Republicans will inherit a trifecta, it is up for a vote again on Tuesday afternoon.

Democrats have taken to X and other social media platforms to plug their latest messaging tactic, calling the bill the “House Republican Child Predator Empowerment Act.” 

“The House Republican Child Predator Empowerment Act does not promote fairness and safety in sports,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said in a post to Bluesky. “It will unleash horrific child predators on girls and young women throughout America.”

Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL), the first Generation Z member of leadership, said the bill puts “all girls at risk by empowering pedophiles.”

“It requires girls as young as 4 YEARS OLD to answer invasive questions about their bodies & face PHYSICAL INSPECTIONS of their private parts by adult strangers,” Frost said. “These questions and inspections can be done WITHOUT the parents present. This bill isn’t about fairness in sports, it gives power to predators and pedophiles. We must protect children.”

On the House floor, Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA) displayed a giant poster with the words “GOP Child Predator Empowerment Act,” calling the bill “sloppy, fake, and prejudiced.”

Other Democrats are using a messaging tactic similar to the one the party used for the Laken Riley Act — that Republicans campaigned on the economy and are putting forth bills centered on partisan politics.

“House Republicans have been in the majority now for, what I guess, suppose a week, and they’ve yet to put a single bill on the floor that would actually address the high cost of living, that would build safer communities, that would grow the middle class,” Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO) said. “I think, clearly, you can see from the bills that they’re pursuing, their priorities are not in line with the majority of the American people, and I think that will be made clear during the course of the debate on the bill.”

Multiple members told the Washington Examiner that Democratic leadership is whipping against the bill. Ahead of the vote, Democrats gathered at their weekly caucus meeting to discuss the bill, with one lawmaker telling the Washington Examiner they had “never seen this many speakers against a bill.” 

That same lawmaker said Jeffries was being “more heavy-handed than usual” in asking members not to vote for the legislation.

Some members leaving the meeting appeared emotional, while several expressed outright anger at the Republicans for using the first legislative weeks to attack transgender people.

The level of Democratic vocal opposition to the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025 is a change in tune from the last days of the 118th Congress, when one of their own, Rep. Sarah McBride (D-DE), became a target of anti-transgender legislation.

Heading into new member orientation last year, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) introduced a bill that would bar McBride, the first transgender member of Congress, from using female bathrooms.

At the time, McBride advised Democratic colleagues not to engage with Republicans on the issue and to prove they are the party of governing. McBride has called GOP transgender bills “petty distraction[s],” with colleagues saying she is focusing on being a serious legislator.

A source familiar told the Washington Examiner that McBride has advocated against the bill, noting the Delaware representative brushed off attacks when it came to a bill solely focused on the member’s bathroom use. With this bill, the source said, McBride is just as vocal as many in the caucus — and many are fired up on McBride’s behalf.

Balint said she is particularly upset about the lack of interference from Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).

“You have a speaker who talks about Christian values, who talks about making a space for everyone — his members are openly bullying and harassing,” Balint said. “My understanding is that he won’t take on his own members.”

“I think that they seem to have no bottom in their level of milking an issue,” she added. “And so I think it’s really important for us to have a really strong showing because we have to put an end to this cruelty and this cravenness.”

Sources have told the Washington Examiner they do not expect many, if any, votes for the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025. But in the wake of the 2024 election, Democrats have entered a period of reflection and revamping after working-class voters trended away from the party. 

Many younger-generation Democrats have called on their colleagues to be more forceful and intentional with their campaign messaging, while other Democrats have called on their party to stop catering to more liberal factions.

For Tuesday’s bill, eyes are on a few lawmakers who have strayed away from Democrats’ pro-transgender rights messaging, such as Reps. Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), Seth Moulton (D-MA), and Tom Suozzi (D-NY).

All three men have either suggested Democrats have gone too far in promoting transgender rights or have outwardly stated men should not participate in women’s sports. However, Suozzi told reporters he would “probably vote no” on Tuesday’s bill, while Moulton told Politico he would not vote in favor of the legislation.

Gonzalez is the only House Democrat who said he would vote for the bill, per NOTUS. 

But many House Democrats argue that if their members are on the fence about voting for the legislation, they should read the bill.

“It’s basically the opposite of what Republicans are saying,” Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) said. “This actually hurts safety for women and girls. It actually is demeaning, that we’re going to somehow do gender checks on young kids.” 

“I think it’s really shameful that Republicans would bring this up, and quite frankly, when they’ve been talking about the economy, to make this their first effort, I think, is that’s pretty sick,” Garcia added.