Oct. 30, 2025
HARRISBURG – On Wednesday, Rep. Dane Watro (R-Luzerne/Schuylkill) joined his House Republican colleagues in their continuing effort to protect women’s sports in Pennsylvania.
“As a father of two daughters, ages 26 and 18, I’ve always wanted my children to have the opportunity to compete in sports,” said Watro. “Allowing biological males to be on female sports teams creates inequity as well as potentially unsafe situations for all female athletes.”
Watro signed a petition to discharge from the House Education Committee
House Bill 158, which would create the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act to ensure women are not forced to compete against biological males playing on women’s sports teams. The committee has ignored the bill since January, and, if discharged, the bill could be voted by the full House of Representatives.
“This isn’t the first time I’ve signed such a petition,” Watro explained. “In early July, I signed a petition to discharge a similar bill,
Senate Bill 9, from a House committee that had ignored the legislation after it arrived in our chamber in early May following the Senate’s 32-18 approval of the protections. A day after I signed that petition, House Democrats moved the bill to a different committee. I signed another petition early this month to discharge the bill from that second committee. House Democrats have been trying to bury that bill since it came to our chamber, and this week, the legislation was moved to its third committee in seven months to avoid being discharged and considered by the full House.”
Watro said he believes ensuring female athletes don’t have to compete against biological males on female sports teams is a responsibility, one he said he will continue to pursue however he can.
Representative Dane Watro
116th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Chris Comisac
717-772-9845
ccomisac@pahousegop.com
RepWatro.com / Facebook.com/RepWatro