Last month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order protecting girls' and women's sports by banning boys and men, with the order also protecting their private spaces. While it's worthwhile to celebrate the executive order, which stands in strong contrast to the previous Biden-Harris administration, there are still states like Maine that have not been complying. Further, another president could simply undo the order at the start of his or her term. In order to truly protect girls' and women's sports, Congress has to take action. The Senate voted Monday night on legislation that would do just that, but all Democrats voted against the bill, with the bill failing to overcome the filibuster. How many on the left and their allies in the mainstream media reacted added insult to injury.
On Monday night, after the bill failed, CBS News put out a post that bent over backwards on the language. "Senate Democrats on Monday blocked a measure that sought to ban transgender girls and women from competing on school sports teams that match their gender identity," the headline claimed.
It included a picture of not one of the Senate Democrats, but rather of Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), the bill's sponsor.
Senate Democrats on Monday blocked a measure that sought to ban transgender girls and women from competing on school sports teams that match their gender identity. https://t.co/gGVv3fXI3v
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 4, 2025
The text of the actual article also went with such terminology:
The bill, known as the "Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act," would prevent schools from receiving federal funding if they allow transgender girls and women to participate in female athletic programs. It adds that a person's sex "shall be recognized based solely on a person's reproductive biology and genetics at birth."
The House passed a similar Republican-led measure in January, with two Democrats joining the Republican majority.
Last month, President Trump signed an executive order to ban transgender girls and women from competing on female sports teams. Schools not in compliance jeopardize any federal funding they receive. The order also affects U.S. visa policies for athletes who travel to the country to compete in the Olympics or other sporting events.
Those in favor of the bans contend that transgender athletes have biological advantages that are unfair and unsafe for other girls and women. Opponents of such policies have argued that a ban opens the door to intrusive genital examinations of girls, particularly those who do not fit stereotypical feminine appearances.
Polling in recent years has found a lack of support for transgender athletes participating on sports teams that match their gender identity. About half of states limit transgender athlete participation.
The write-up does do its due diligence by citing concerns from those in support of this commonsense proposal, which should be the end of the conversation. However, the piece then goes for fearmongering narratives to mention the concerns of the few far-leftists not well versed in basic biology.
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To close, the piece acknowledges that Americans support protecting girls' and women's sports, though again, it's through that particularly framing. It also comes off in such a way that guilts the overwhelming majority of Americans who acknowledge that boys and men don't belong in girls' and women's sports and private spaces.
CBS News is looking to defy biological reality with language such as "transgender girls and women," who are in reality boys and men, and ought to have to participate in sports with their actual sex. This idea of "gender identity" will have to take a backseat, especially when the protection and safety of girls and women should be a top priority, and it at least is under Trump.
As the CBS News piece acknowledges, such legislation already passed the House in January. All 216 voting Republicans supported the bill, while 206 Democrats voted against it. Reps. Vicente Gonzalez and Henry Cuellar, Democrats from Texas, voted for the bill, while Rep. Don Davis of North Carolina voted "present."
The CBS News post from Monday night was thoroughly ratioed, with more than 1,300 replies, with many shaming and correcting the outlet on biological reality.
Your propaganda is inscrutable. I think you mean to say "a measure that sought to ban boys from competing on girls' sports teams."
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) March 4, 2025
No,they violated women's rights.
— Marlon East Of The Pecos (@Darksideleader2) March 4, 2025
Biological men should never ever be allowed to complete against women and girls in sports.
"The protecting women's health party "
Hates women's rights 😤
"journalism"
— Cynical Publius (@CynicalPublius) March 4, 2025
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Democrats supported keeping men and boys in women’s and girl’s spaces. Democrats HATE women and girls and don’t want them to be safe. We won’t forget and will take them out of office. pic.twitter.com/kLL2ckoJ1y
— Savannah (@BasedSavannah) March 4, 2025
This is hardly the only example where CBS News has gone through great lengths to put out a particular framing. Last week, CBS News posted that Shiri Bibas and her two young children, Kfir and Ariel, who were just 10 months old and 4 years old when they were murdered while being held hostage by Hamas, had "died while being held captive."
Last summer, as then-White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre shamefully gaslit the American people about President Joe Biden's cognitive decline, claiming that video footage providing such evidence amounted to "cheap fakes," CBS News fell right in line. That post on X was badly ratioed and deleted, though it was later shared once more, with the correspondent tagged in the post locking down her account.
A Harvard CAPS/Harris poll from last week that we covered at the time shows voters, even those who are Democrats, agree with keeping male and female's sports separate. By 69-31 percent, voters support "Banning men who have undergone operations and hormones to become women from girls’ sports." Fifty percent of Democrats even agree.
CBS News isn't the only outlet facing ire for its framing of an issue that is popular with an overwhelming number of Americans, from all political persuasions. All Democrats voting against advancing the bill means vulnerable members up for reelection in 2026 did as well, including Sens. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). Their seats are now even more of a target, as evidenced with a pinned post from the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC).
Will targeting vulnerable members with this issue work? It very well could. As we covered during last November's elections, vulnerable Democratic incumbents, such as now former Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, and those Democrats who were looking to unseat Republican incumbents, such as now former Rep. Colin Allred, who ran against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, saw their framing backfire mightily, plunging the party into disarray. And yet, they keep doubling down.
🚨 Vulnerable '26 incumbent Senators Jon @ossoff and @JeanneShaheen just voted AGAINST banning men from women's sports.
— Senate Republicans (@NRSC) March 4, 2025
Vote. Them. Out. pic.twitter.com/CjgyiaCls5
This is Georgia Senator Jon @ossoff.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 4, 2025
He just voted against keeping men out of your daughter’s sports.
Never let him forget it. pic.twitter.com/eIgdPhsVs0
These 45 cowardly Senators just voted against keeping men out of your daughter’s sports.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 4, 2025
Never let them forget it. pic.twitter.com/njZ2iP872l
