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Mike Lee

U.S. Senator from Utah

Updated: April 21, 2023

—Introduced legislation to ban transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports. The bill, purporting to “protect women and girls,” was introduced a month after the deadly siege at the Capitol.

—Introduced the “First Amendment Defense Act” in 2015 and 2018. The legislation would allow religious-based nonprofits or groups that receive government contracts or grants to run homeless shelters, food pantries or counseling services, to refuse service to same-sex couples.

—Was the lone U.S. senator to block the unanimous consent of nominee Chai Feldblum to serve on Equal Employment Opportunity Commission because of her support for LGBTQ rights. Lee claimed that Feldblum,—who is a lesbian and was first appointed by President Barack Obama and re-nominated for Senate confirmation by President Donald Trump—wants to “use the might of government to stamp out traditional marriage supporters.” He called for a replacement nominee “who respects the institution of marriage and religious freedom for all Americans.” The EEOC is the federal department where Americans can seek assistance with complaints regarding employment discrimination on the basis of, among other factors, gender identity and sexual orientation.

—In a Senate hearing, excoriated NCAA president Mark Emmert for the association’s opposition to the Idaho law banning transgender athletes from participating in student sports, and resumes gender verification in competitive sports. “I am concerned about the NCAA’s track record of undermining women by pushing schools to allow individuals born biologically of one gender to participate in another gender’s sports,” Lee said. “I’m worried about some of the policies that you’ve taken. It’s offensive to me and to millions of Americans that the great strides our society has taken to protect women’s rights and women’s sports are now at the risk of being undone.”

—Signed onto an amicus brief arguing that Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act doesn’t protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

The GLAAD Accountability Project catalogs anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and discriminatory actions of politicians, commentators, organization heads, religious leaders, and legal figures, who have used their platforms, influence and power to spread misinformation and harm LGBTQ people.