WASHINGTON, United States (AFP)— The Republican-led US House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill severely restricting transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports.

The legislation would bar transgender students from female teams at any school or university that receives federal funding, although its adoption by the Senate and passage into law is unlikely.

The bill defines sex as “based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth” and restricts transgender athletes from participating in athletic activities “designated for women or girls.”

Republicans hammered Democrats on transgender issues — especially with it came to youth and sports — ahead of the 2024 election, capitalising on a broader culture war over LGBTQ rights.

As transgender people — a small minority of the population — have become a more visible presence in the United States, sparking questions around gender norms and fairness, many conservatives have rallied around women’s sports.

“House Republicans yet again stood up for women,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement.

President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to end “transgender lunacy.”

The House garnered 218 votes for the bill, including two Democrats.

In the Senate, however, Republicans are unlikely to get enough Democrats on board to overcome the upper chamber’s 60-vote threshold on most legislation.

Advocacy group Equality California slammed the bill as “yet another effort to deny transgender youth the dignity and respect they deserve.”