The U.S. Senate has voted against advancing a bill that, if passed, would have prohibited school athletic programs from allowing boys and men who identify as female to compete in women’s sports.

The Senate has rejected legislation aiming to bar transgender women and girls from participating in school athletic competitions designated for female athletes.

Legislation to bar transgender women and girls from participating in female sports did not pass in the US Senate, with Democrats united in opposition. The bill aimed to define Title IX protections based on birth-assigned gender,