WASHINGTON

The US House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday to ban transgender students from competing in girls’ sports from kindergarten through 12th grade.

The vote was 218-206, with two Democrats voting in favor and one voting “present.”

The bill, known as the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act,” would amend Title IX -- the federal civil rights law banning sex discrimination in schools and education programs that receive government funding -- to prohibit schools from allowing transgender female athletes to participate in athletic programs or activities "designated for women or girls."

According to the bill, a person’s sex shall be recognized based solely on their “reproductive biology and genetics at birth."

It is unclear whether the Senate will have the votes to pass the bill, which was introduced by Republican Rep. Greg Steube.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said biological men competing against women “poses a threat to the safety of our girls.”

"It's dangerous, it's unfair, it's a rejection of reality, and it is just plain wrong," he told reporters.

"Men are men, women are women, and men cannot become women. It’s just that simple," Johnson said.