FACT CHECK: Fact-Checking Colin Allred’s Position On Men Playing Women’s Sports
In a new advertisement for his 2024 Senate bid, Texas Democratic Rep. Colin Allred claimed he “[doesn’t] want boys playing girls’ sports.”
Colin Allred out with a response to what’s now three GOP TV ads hammering him over trans issues.
“Let me be clear: I don’t want boys playing girls’ sports, or any of this ridiculous stuff Ted Cruz is saying.” pic.twitter.com/mSEkIq8a6y
— David Weigel (@daveweigel) October 11, 2024
Verdict: Misleading
Allred voted against H.R. 734, or the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act in April 2023. Allred has also supported legislation, including the Equality Act, that prohibits discrimination on the basis of “gender identity.” Left-wing experts, though, countered that Cruz’s claim was false.
Fact Check:
Incumbent candidate and Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz is just one point ahead of Allred, according to a recent memorandum from the Senate Leadership Fund, according to Newsweek.
In his campaign advertisement, which has garnered over two million views on X, formerly Twitter, Allred claimed he “[doesn’t] want boys playing girls’ sports.”
“Ted Cruz is lying again, but now he’s lying about our children. I’m a dad, I’m also a Christian. My faith has taught me that all kids are God’s kids. So let me be clear: I don’t want boys playing girls’ sports or any of this ridiculous stuff Ted Cruz is saying. Ted Cruz is lying about my record because he can’t defend his own,” Allred said in the same advertisement.
Allred’s advertisement appears to be a response to an Oct. 7 campaign advertisement from Cruz accusing Allred of “pushing an extreme liberal vision for America” in which boys are allowed in girls’ locker rooms, bathrooms, and sports.
The claim is false. In April 2023, Allred voted against H.R. 734, or the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which “generally prohibits school athletic programs from allowing individuals whose biological sex at birth was male to participate in programs that are for women or girls,” according to a summary of the bill via Congress.gov.
“Specifically, the bill provides that it is a violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 for federally funded education programs or activities to operate, sponsor, or facilitate athletic programs or activities that allow individuals of the male sex to participate in programs or activities that are designated for women or girls. (Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded education programs or activities, including in public elementary and secondary schools and in colleges and universities.) Under the bill, sex is based on an individual’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth,” the same summary indicates.
Likewise, Allred voted against an amendment to the bill that would “require the Comptroller General [to] carry out a study to determine the meaning of the phrase ‘any other benefit’ as used in subsection (d)(3) by looking at the adverse psychological, developmental, participatory, and sociological results to girls of allowing males to compete, be members of a sports team, or participants in athletic programs, that are designed for girls, including hostile environment creation, sexual assault, and sexual harassment.”
In June 2023, Allred co-sponsored the Equality Act, which “expands Title II and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit public accommodations and federally funded programs, respectively, from discriminating based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity.” According to Congress.gov, “the bill also expands Title IV (desegregation of public schools) and Title VII (employment discrimination) to specifically include sexual orientation and gender identity.”
Similarly, Allred’s vote history on sexual orientation and gender issues via Vote Smart shows that he previously voted yes on the Equality Act in February 2021 and May 2019, having co-sponsored the legislation in February 2021.
In March 2023, Allred voted against H.R. 5, or the Parents Bill of Rights Act, which informs parents if “a school employee or contractor acts to change a minor child’s gender markers, pronouns, or preferred name; or allow[s] a child to change the child’s sex-based accommodations, including locker rooms or bathrooms.” (RELATED: Fact-Checking Vance And Walz’s Exchange On Minnesota’s Abortion Law)
That same month, Allred co-sponsored House Resolution 269, titled, “Recognizing that it is the duty of the Federal Government to develop and implement a Transgender Bill of Rights to protect and codify the rights of transgender and nonbinary people under the law and ensure their access to medical care, shelter, safety, and economic security.”
A summary of the resolution states that it “expresses support for implementing a Transgender Bill of Rights that guarantees certain rights for transgender and nonbinary people with respect to public services and accommodations, employment, housing, health care, and other specified areas.” In addition, the resolution includes verbiage stating it would allow students to “participate in sports on teams and in programs that best align with their gender identity” and “use school facilities that best align with their gender identity.”
Allred’s campaign website also expresses his support for LGBTQ+ issues, including those impacting transgender kids.
“As a civil rights attorney, Colin believes we must stand united against all forms of prejudice and discrimination. He’s been an outspoken supporter of LGBTQ+ rights, proudly supporting passage of legislation enshrining marriage equality into law and voting to protect Texans from discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender,” reads a section called “Equality Under The Law” on the “Issues” page of Allred’s campaign website.
“Political attacks targeting LGBTQ+ Texans are shameful and are attacks on the fundamental right to live free from discrimination. These attacks are particularly harmful to transgender kids and their families who just want to live their lives free from interference and intimidation,” the same section continues.
Similarly, an October 2024 piece published by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) comparing Allred and Cruz’s respective records highlights Allred’s record on LGBTQ+ issues, including his co-sponsoring of the Equality Act and his vote against the Protection of Women and Girls Sports Act. A spokesperson for GLAAD directed Check Your Fact to the piece when asked to comment on the claim.
Allred was also previously endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) when he ran for Congress in 2018, with the campaign stating he was “an outspoken critic of the anti-transgender legislation SB6” in 2017. According to the Texas Tribune, “SB6 would have required transgender Texans to use bathrooms in government buildings and public schools that match their ‘biological sex.’ The measure would have also prohibited local governments from adopting or enforcing local bathroom regulations.” The bill was voted on by the Senate but did not reach the House, the Texas Legislature’s website shows.
Multiple experts offered their perspectives on Allred’s claim with Check Your Fact.
Max Eden, a senior fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute whose research areas include early childhood education and K-12 education, said Allred is “lying.”
“I can’t speak to Allred’s personal beliefs, but I’d be surprised if he could point to a single political statement he made opposing the Biden Administration’s Title IX plans. I don’t think I’ve seen a single Democrat in Congress express a single doubt or reservation about it.”
“And yeah, doing a quick check I’d say Allred is lying. Every single Democrat voted against this bill to keep boys out of girls sports,” Eden said, referencing the vote history on H.R. 734.
“If he voted against keeping boys out of girls sports, he supports keeping boys in girls sports,” Eden added.
Joseph Figliolia, a policy analyst at the conservative Manhattan Institute, highlighted Allred’s public voting record.
“Claims made by Rep. Colin Allred aside, his public voting record according to Vote Smart indicates that he voted no on the ‘Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act’ in April of 2023. Similarly, his office released a press release in February of 2021 announcing that he voted in favor of the Equality Act—and was an original co-sponsor of the bill—which, if passed, would amend federal law to add protections for “gender identity” in among other areas, education, which would have implications for sports,” Figliolia said.
Left of center experts, though, countered that Cruz’s attacks were false. Lanae Erickson, senior vice president at the left-of-center Third Way, labeled Cruz’s “attacks” on Allred as “false and inflammatory.”
“Senator Cruz’s attacks on Representative Allred are false and inflammatory. Senator Cruz would prefer to spend his time bullying Texas kids and parents than actually legislating,” Erickson said. “We all want sports to be fair and for student athletes to be safe. That’s why local schools and sports associations already have rules for who can play on sports teams. This is not an issue for the United States Congress.”
Erickson further said, “It’s been handled on the local level for decades and should continue to be handled by folks closest to the ground and to the expertise. Senator Cruz supported a bill, and Mr. Allred opposed one, that would have forced every young girl who wants to play sports to undergo invasive questioning and physical exams. This doesn’t make young girls safe, but it does create a situation ripe for abuse.”
Cait Smith, Director, LGBTQI+ Policy at the liberal Center for American Progress Action Fund, stated that “policies like these must be made by communities and experts who know their sport best.”
“Ted Cruz is turning kids into political footballs tossed to distract from his abysmal record. Transgender students are actually underrepresented in sports and make up an extremely small percentage of all student-athletes. What’s more, trans women and girls are not boys. When someone assigned male at birth transitions, they often take hormones, diminishing their ability to build muscle and their respiratory capacity. This is why some sports associations like the NCAA have hormone level requirements as part of their inclusion policy. Inclusion policies like these must be made by the communities and experts who know their sport best. All young people, including transgender youth, deserve respect and dignity,” Smith said.
Check Your Fact has also contacted Allred and Cruz campaign spokespersons for comment.
