Riley Gaines, Fourth-Wave Feminism and the Battle for Women’s Sports

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In case you needed any convincing that the current imbroglio concerning women’s sports is driven by raw politics and a thirst for power, Friday’s release of new rules pertaining to Title IX should put any doubt to rest.

Title IX, a 1972 law that banned discrimination based on sex for school programs that receive federal funding, has been targeted by radical revolutionaries determined to redefine what the word “sex” even means.

Back when the landmark directive was signed into law by President Richard Nixon, “sex” meant “male” or “female.” But activists today are determined to expand it to mean anything and everything from “sexual orientation” to “gender identity” – all of which are highly contested concepts.

In short, they want to force the government to allow boys to compete against your daughters based on whim, delusion or confusion.

Friday’s announcement sidestepped the larger question of whether schools will be forced to accept sexually confused (i.e., so-called transgender) athletes onto their roster, but the new rules do redefine “sex” when it comes to the sexual harassment and discrimination portions of Title IX.

Under the rules, athletes will be able to claim discrimination and harassment based on their “sexual orientation/gender identity.”

In other words, they’ll be allowed to claim fake discrimination over a made-up identity.

“These regulations make it crystal clear that everyone can access schools that are safe, welcoming and that respect their rights,” said education secretary Miguel A. Cardona.

This is nothing short than the erasure of women. Sorry, Cardona, but there is nothing safe about males sharing locker rooms with female athletes. And it appears respecting rights only goes in one direction. Those who hold to biological reality, deeply held religious convictions or multi-millennia standards regarding the distinctives between male and female are out of luck.

Under the new rules, student athletes accused of sexual harassment will be allowed to keep playing while any investigation occurs.

Olympian and common-sense advocate Riley Gaines, who has courageously stood up to those looking to abolish women’s sports, tweeted in response:

“The Biden Admin has just officially abolished Title IX as we knew it. Now, sex = gender identity. In a nutshell, the new rewrite means: – men can take academic AND athletic scholarships from women.”

She continued:

“Men will have FULL access to bathrooms, locker rooms, etc. Men could be housed in dorm rooms with women. Students and faculty MUST compel their speech by requiring the use of preferred pronouns. If the guidelines above are ignored or even questioned, then YOU can be charged with harassment.”

In a statement, Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, said:

“The Department of Education has placed Title IX, and the decades of advancement and protections for women and girls that it has yielded, squarely on the chopping block. This final rule dumps kerosene on the already raging fire … The rule also undermines existing due process rights, placing students and institutions in legal jeopardy and again undermining the protections Title IX is intended to provide. Evidently, the acceptance of biological reality, and the faithful implementation of the law, are just pills too big for the Department to swallow — and it shows.”

The larger question of forcing “trans” participation is expected to be answered – after the presidential election.

The glaring question that continues to go unanswered is where are the traditional feminists who claim to stand up for the rights and concerns of female athletes? By and large, they are silent, and allowing the decimation of women’s sports.

As some internet memes have quipped, first wave feminism strived to be equal to men, the second wave claimed to not need them, and third wave claimed to be men and erase women. What’s rising thanks to stalwarts like Riley Gaines is a fourth wave that loudly and proudly proclaims their femininity and uniqueness. It’s a movement that can’t come too soon.

 

Image from Getty.

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