Heritage Action Applauds Senator Marshall’s Key Legislation to Protect Women and Children from Radical Gender Ideology

Press Releases · Nov 21, 2024

WASHINGTON—Heritage Action, a conservative grassroots organization with 2.5 million activists nationwide, urges senators to support the Defining Male and Female Act (S. 5356), a bill to protect women and children across the United States from dangerous ideology by codifying in federal law that sex is based on biology and that there are only two sexes: male and female.

The legislation, introduced by U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, M.D. (R–KS.), follows attempts from the Biden-Harris administration to distort the landmark Title IX law to force schools to allow boys and men into protected female spaces and sports.

Senator Roger Marshall released the following statement:

“As a physician who has delivered over 5,000 babies, I can confidently say that politicizing children's gender to use them as pawns in their radical woke agenda is not only wrong, it is extremely dangerous. I didn’t think we would need legislation to tell us that there are only two sexes: male and female, but here we are.”

“We must codify the legal definition of sex to be based on science rather than feelings. With our legislation, we can fight back against the Biden-Harris administration’s assault on our children.”

Heritage Action Executive Vice President Ryan Walker released the following statement:

“As a trained physician, Doctor Marshall understands the danger in the Left’s radical ideologies to erase clear biological differences. The Biden-Harris administration’s illegal overhaul of Title IX and persistent push to force extreme gender ideology in America’s schools have threatened the safety, spaces and opportunity of women and girls across the country.

“Heritage Action applauds Doctor Marshall for his commitment to defend science and protect women and girls in sports. Sen. Marshall has the full support of Heritage Action’s grassroots army and the vast majority of Americans who accept the biological fact that men cannot be women.”

S. 5356 follows a steady drumbeat of legislation passed at the federal and state level to combat the dangerous impacts of the anti-science gender movement. Earlier this year, Heritage Action issued a Key Vote urging lawmakers to cosponsor the Defining Male and Female Act (H.R. 9218) introduced by Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) in the House.

While the Left blocks any progress at the federal level, states across the country have passed similar legislation to protect American children and women’s sports. Polling shows broad, bipartisan support for legislation fighting transgender activism. More than 65% of Americans oppose access to puberty-blocking medication for children, and almost 70% of Americans do not believe male athletes should be allowed to compete against girls and women.


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