WoLF submits the following endorsement in support of the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act:

Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act is a necessary piece of legislation to combat the systematic dismantling of women’s and girls’ protections under Title IX. Equal access to educational opportunities, including sports, is recognized by the United Nations as a key global driver of women’s empowerment. When men and boys are allowed to compete in athletic leagues designed for women and girls, they deprive female athletes of the opportunity to fair and safe participation in sports, and negate all benefits derived from athletic participation. 

“We’re glad to see that some in politics are still committed to preserving women’s and girls’ sports, rather than chasing the latest political fashion trend. We endorse the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, and we call on the Senate to represent the interests of the overwhelming majority of American voters who support fair play for women and girls,” said Natasha Chart, Executive Director of the Women’s Liberation Front.

The act would make it a violation of Title IX for educational receipts of federal funds to “to permit a person whose biological sex at birth is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls.” [Read the full text of the proposed bill]

“When transgender [male] athletes compete against women, women’s sports are no longer women’s sports – they become unisex athletic events,” Sponsoring Senator Mike Lee of Utah said in a statement. “This bill would protect the opportunity of girls throughout America to athletically compete against other girls.”

The proposed legislation comes after President Biden signed an Executive Order on his first day in office directing federal agencies, including the Department of Education, to interpret “federal anti-discrimination statutes that cover sex discrimination prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.”

Biden’s nominee for secretary of education, Dr. Miguel Cardona, told Sen. Rand Paul during his confirmation hearing that he would not enforce Title IX, making this bill more important now than ever. If the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act was passed and signed into law, it would affirm the position of the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights which says that Bostock is consistent with using biological sex to segregate sports teams.

“Female athletes deserve a fair chance at competition-this means fair victories and fair defeats,” said Sen. Marsha Blackburn (TN). “Allowing males to compete in women’s sports denies female student-athletes a level playing field to compete and achieve.”

A one-pager put forward by the office of Sen. Lee, who sponsored the bill, included recent examples of how women have been harmed by being forced to compete against men:

• In track and field, male high school runner CeCe Telfer won three titles in the Northeast-10 Championships for women’s track, and received the Most Outstanding Track Athlete award.

• In softball, male player Pat (Patrick) Cordova-Goff took one of 15 spots on his California high school women’s varsity softball team.

• In basketball, a 50-year-old, 6-foot-8-inch, 230-pound man, Robert (Gabrielle) Ludwig, led the Mission College women’s basketball team to a national championship with the most rebounds.

• In mixed martial arts, male fighter Fallon Fox shattered female fighter Tamikka Brents’ eye socket and gave her a concussion. Brents said she “never felt so overpowered in her life.”

• In Connecticut’s state track and field championships, two male high school runners, Andraya Yearwood and Terry Miller, took first and second place in multiple events, beating out top high school girls from across the state. Yearwood was named Connecticut Athlete of the Year.

The act is similar to a House bill proposed by Representative Tulsi Gabbard at the end of her term. Similar bills have also been put forward in state legislatures, such as a bill proposed in Georgia on Thursday.

We’re calling on US Residents to write their senators to ask them to support the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act!

For more information on the current threat to women’s sports and Title IX, see our blog on the Idaho “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act” case.