Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) reintroduced the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act last week and several organizations have endorsed the bill, including the feminists at Women’s Liberation Front.
The bill, which has companion legislation in the House, seeks to protect women and girls from competing against biological men who consider themselves “transgender women” because they have chosen to live as women.
“When transgender athletes compete against women, women’s sports are no longer women’s sports; they become unisex athletic events,” Lee said in the press release announcing the move. “This bill would protect the opportunity of girls throughout America to athletically compete against other girls.”
Current National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules allow transgender women to participate in women’s and girl’s sports under certain conditions.
WoLF’s tweet refers the the Title IX federal statute that prevents schools that receive federal funds from discriminating against women or girls because of their biological sex, which helped elite female sports advance in the United States.
The bill says: “It shall be a violation of subsection (a) for a recipient of federal funds who operates, sponsors, or facilities athletic programs or activities to permit a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls.”
One of President Joe Biden’s earliest acts after being inaugurated was to expand through an executive order the meaning of biological sex in Title IX to include “gender identity,” including giving individuals access to bathrooms, locker rooms, and playing fields based on their perceived sex or “gender identity.”
WoLF wrote about endorsing Lee’s bill, which is co-sponsored by Sens. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MI), James Lankford (R-OK), Tom Cotton (R-AR.), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL ):
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.
Natasha Chart, executive director of the Women’s Liberation Front, said in a statement on the group’s website:
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.
Lee’s office sent out a release that showed examples of how not having a level playing field is harming female athletes.
• 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.
According to a news release from Lee’s office, the following organizations support the bill: Concerned Women for American, American Principles Project, Family Research Council, Ethics & Public Policy Center, Alliance Defending Freedom, Save Women’s Sports, Heritage Action for America, Independent Women’s Forum, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the Family Policy Alliance.
Follow Penny Starr on Twitter or send news tips to pstarr@breitbart.com
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