Lesbian congresswoman says it’s ‘appalling’ to bar trans women from sports teams

Lesbian congresswoman Angie Craig, who is currently seeking re-election, had previously said it is “appalling” not to let trans women join female sports teams.

Craig, who became Minnesota’s first out LGBTQ+ member of congress when she entered the US House of Representatives in 2019, has previously blocked two efforts to ban trans women from female sports.

The Democrat, who represents Minnesota’s second district, condemned a 2020 bill introduced by former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard, which aimed to deny funding for trans-inclusive schools, calling it “blatantly transphobic… bigoted… appalling [and] beyond the pale”.

In April 2023, after the bill was quashed, Republicans proposed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. Again, Craig voted against the proposed legislation but it wasn’t enough to stop it from passing by 219 votes to 203. 

Republican Joe Teirab, who is running to unseat Craig, has used X/Twitter to hit out at his opponent’s support for the trans community. 

“Men shouldn’t compete against women in sports. Common sense, right?” he wrote. “It’s a simple fairness and safety issue, and [a] new UN report shows that hundreds of women around the world lost medals to biological men.” 

He went on ask: “So, to the vast majority of Americans and Minnesotans who believe men shouldn’t compete against women in sports, are you, Angie Craig, calling them transphobic, bigoted and hateful?”

Who is Angie Craig?

Angie Craig was born and raised in Arkansas. She is a former journalist and businesswoman.

She married her wife Cheryl Greene in 2008 and have four children – making her the first lesbian mother in congress.

In 2021, Craig introduced the Every Child Deserves a Family Act, which was designed to end discrimination towards LGBTQ+ people in foster care and adoption.

“No state should allow discrimination against LGBTQ+ foster children or adoptive parents who can provide a safe and loving home,” she said at the time. 

The following year, she introduced the Affordable Insulin Now Act, intended to cap out-of-pocket insulin prices at $35 per month (approximately £28 at the time). The bill passed the house.

Despite being a Democrat, she has not always voted in line with the Biden administration and in July called on the president to stand aside in November’s election.

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