By Ashley Brasfield, Daily Caller News Foundation | May 13, 2025
Democratic Pennsylvania State Rep. Peter Schweyer told a group of teen girls that he would block a bill to keep men out of women’s sports on Monday, a Republican state senator who heard his comments told the Daily Caller.
After a Republican-led press conference at the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg, State Rep. Peter Schweyer, who is the chairman of the House Education Committee, allegedly told the high school-aged girls advocating for the “Save Women’s Sports Act” that he would not allow the legislation to advance out of his committee.
The bill, recently passed by the Republican-controlled Pennsylvania Senate in a 32-18 vote — with five Democrats joining Republicans — seeks to limit participation in female school sports teams to individuals who are biologically female. Now headed to the state House of Representatives, the proposal aims to protect competitive fairness, athletic opportunity, and safety for female athletes across the commonwealth.
Republican Pennsylvania State Sen. Judy Ward, who sponsored the “Save Women’s Sports Act,” observed the exchange and spoke with the Caller on Tuesday about the incident.
“I said, ‘Thank you, ladies, for being here and for being so supportive.’ I looked at Rep. Schweyer and said, ‘I understand you told them it’s not going anywhere.’ He said, ‘Yeah, that’s right.’ I said, ‘Shame on you,’ and he replied, ‘It’s not going to run. I chair Education, and it’s not going anywhere.’ I said, ‘You should be ashamed of yourself,’ and walked away,” Ward recounted.
Ward emphasized that every female Republican in the Pennsylvania Senate had co-sponsored Senate Bill 9, highlighting strong support for the legislation among GOP women lawmakers. “I felt like Schweyer was the dream crusher yesterday to these young ladies,” she told the Caller.
The Pennsylvania Senate is just one of several state legislatures pushing bills to ensure women’s sports teams are reserved for biological females in K–12 and college athletics. But the bill has stalled in the state House, where it’s being blocked by Schweyer. Republicans currently trail Democrats by just one seat in the chamber, limiting their ability to force a vote.
“He’s been very stubborn about blocking this bill,” Republican Pennsylvania State Rep. Barbara Gleim told the Caller on Tuesday, referring to Schweyer. “We may need to negotiate it in the budget or use a discharge resolution to put pressure on the governor to help get it out of the House Education Committee — but we’re not going to let it go.”
There is growing uncertainty over whether the bill would be signed into law by Pennsylvania Democrat Governor Josh Shapiro, were it to land on his desk.
Shapiro has not publicly backed the legislation. A similar bill that sought to protect women’s sports was vetoed by former Governor Tom Wolf.
Paula Scanlan, a former University of Pennsylvania swimmer who competed alongside transgender athlete Lia Thomas, told the Caller on Tuesday, “We’re in this situation because Democrats aren’t representing the views of most Americans. This issue shouldn’t be partisan. Some Democratic senators even voted for it. Most Americans — left, right and center — don’t want men in women’s sports. The pushback from Democrats, including Governor Shapiro and others in the legislature, doesn’t make sense.”
When asked why she believes Democrats continue to fight back on what she calls an 80-20 issue, Scanlan said, “I think it’s just what the Democrat Party has become. They’re voting on identity politics — marginalized people versus oppressors. They’ve painted the trans issue as if female athletes are somehow ranked higher than transgender individuals.”
The Daily Caller reached out to Rep. Schweyer’s office and Governor Shapiro’s office for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Ashley Brasfield is a reporter at the Daily Caller News Foundation
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