WoLF Legal Director Gives Testimony on Alaska’s Even Playing Field Act (SB140)
WoLF Legal Director Lauren Adams was invited by Alaska Senator Shelley Hughes to give testimony on Alaska Senate Bill 140, The Even Playing Field Act, on April 22, 2022. She was also given the opportunity to answer questions about radical feminism, gender abolition and sex-based rights.
Jennifer Braceras of Independent Women's Law Center (IWLC), who has decades of experience with Title IX, also provided testimony. Matt Sharp of Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) testified on issues concerning the Americans Disabilities Act protections for vulnerable students.
Some members of the committee took issue with WoLF’s assertion that, contrary to popular belief, the population of young people who identify as transgender or non-binary is well above 1%. This is relevant because one common (though unpersuasive) talking point on the sports issue is that there is only a very tiny number of male athletes who would self-identify onto a women’s team. In fact, the age group covered by Title IX’s provisions have seen a dramatic increase in trans self-identification. After the hearing, WoLF followed-up with the committee as they requested, to provide support for this statement:
“Demographics of Gender Identity by Generation
A 2017 poll from the LGBT rights advocate organization GLAAD, which found that 12% of those aged 18-34 identified as transgender, non-binary, gender-fluid, gender-queer, or other.
A 2017 Gallup poll which showed about 8% of millenials and 10% of Gen. Z identified as "LGBT" (which obviously encompasses sexual orientation as well).
The 2022 version of the Gallup poll found that now 10.5% of millenials and nearly 21% of Gen. Z identify as LGBT. Gallup's analysis suggests that these numbers went up because the younger ages are driving these numbers, and as Gen Z. has continued to come of age (since this only surveys adults), so did the corresponding LGBT self-identification. LGBT Identification in U.S. Ticks Up to 7.1% (gallup.com). See also this article on the survey: A record number of U.S. adults identify as LGBTQ. Gen Z is driving the increase (msn.com).
Since these surveys don't include most K-12 students, who are also covered under this bill, this may be underestimating the population. There is no corresponding GLAAD poll that is more recent than their 2017 numbers, so some extrapolation is necessary based on that and on Gallup's undifferentiated poll on both sexual orientation and gender identity. Regardless, the commonly cited stat of about 1% of the U.S. population identifying as transgender clearly does not apply to the population covered under SB 140.
Finally, this recent survey has even more dramatic results, putting 39% of Gen. Z as LGBT. However, I do not know much about this organization or the quality of their research, and like Gallup they do not distinguish specifically between sexual orientation and gender identity, so I do not rely upon it by itself - I merely note that it supports the data inferences from the other polling. Nearly 40 Percent of U.S. Gen Zs, 30 Percent of Young Christians Identify as LGBTQ, Poll Shows (newsweek.com).”
The Women’s Bill of Rights, which WoLF has partnered with other organizations and individuals to adopt, would solve many of the issues that were debated upon and raised during the hearing.