Megan Rapinoe says efforts to bar trans athletes from women's sports are 'attack on women in society'

Former U.S. Women's National Team star Megan Rapinoe said Tuesday that efforts to bar transgender athletes from competing in women's sports amount to "an attack on women in society," arguing the debate extends far beyond questions of fairness in athletic competition.

Appearing on ABC's "The View," Rapinoe dismissed arguments that restrictions on transgender athletes are primarily about protecting girls' and women's sports. Instead, she argued, opponents are using the issue as part of a broader campaign against women's empowerment.

"They're going after trans people in sports, and they're using this as a wedge issue because we love sports. And, you know, we don't want our little girls to be unsafe in sports. And it's like, ‘Unsafe from who? But okay,’" Rapinoe said.

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"But now we're using this as like, an overarching thing, when really what we're attacking women, we're saying, ‘If you look like this as a woman, you can play, if you look like this as a woman.' There's a bill in Washington happening right now that's going to require all girls, just like full stop, to go through a sex test, an invasive, like examining their genitals to see if they're a woman," Rapinoe said.

Initiative IL26-638, according to the House Republican Caucus, would "prohibit students it defines as ‘biologically male’ from competing in certain school athletic activities intended for female students only. It would require verification of biological sex by students’ healthcare providers."

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"They don't like women in sports because it helps us with confidence and power," Rapinoe said. "And we see so many women in the C-suite played elite level sports. It's just great for you physically and all of it. But it's an attack on women in society."

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In a recent article in Marie Claire entitled, "Anti-Trans Legislation Isn't About 'Protecting Girls'—It's About Distracting Us From What Matters," Rapinoe wrote, "The truth is, trans people have been competing in sports for decades, and will continue to participate as this smoke screen from bad faith legislators and anti-LGBT groups cloak the real damage being done. As with so many other manufactured issues we fall for, women and girls will suffer the most."

Rapinoe did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.