Seven States Introduce Bills to ‘Save Girls Sports’ – Here’s How You Can Help

by Jeff Johnston | January 22, 2021 | Sexuality

The day of his inauguration, President Joe Biden signed an “Executive Order on Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation.” The order says, “Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports.”

Legislators in seven states are already moving to protect girls sports against this federal policy.

Biden’s order signals a return to former President Barack Obama’s policies, when his Education and Justice Departments sent a “Dear Colleague Letter on Transgender Students” in 2016, encouraging the redefinition of “sex discrimination,” in Title IX, to include “gender identity.”

The letter said, “When a school provides sex-segregated activities and facilities, transgender students must be allowed to participate in such activities and access such facilities consistent with their gender identity.” Those “activities and facilities” included restrooms, locker rooms, sports, and housing and overnight accommodations.

Sure. Let boys who think they are girls play on a girls sports team. And let boys who claim to be girls stay in hotel rooms with girls when the team travels. What could go wrong?

The Trump Administration revoked the policy, but it’s clear that the Biden administration will offer the same “guidance” to public schools.

While the federal government doesn’t fund or control public schools – states and local school boards have this authority – it does have a lot of power. And that power can be used to coerce schools who are “discriminatory” and don’t follow this policy. The federal government also funds special programs, and it can defund schools that “discriminate” against transgender-identified students.

The good news in all this is that some states are pushing back, working to protect girls and women’s sports. At least twelve states have legislation under consideration that would base sports on biological reality, rather than “gender identity.”

LGBT activists and their allies in the media, academia, and the business world are already attacking these legislative efforts, saying they “target” and “attack” gender-confused students and are “discriminatory” and “cruel,” so it’s important for concerned people to weigh in and support these bills.

Here’s a roundup of states with proposals to “Save Girls Sports,” along with information about how to make your voice heard on this issue.

Kentucky – Senate Bill 106, the “Save Women’s Sports Act,” also called the “Fair Play Act,” amends the state’s Board of Education laws so that “an athletic activity or sport designated as ‘girls’ shall not be open to members of the male sex.” It also states, “Nothing in this section shall be construed to restrict the eligibility of any student to participate in an athletic activity or sport designated as ‘boys’ or ‘coed.’”

The Family Foundation, an organization advocating for family, life, marriage and religious freedom in Kentucky, has a Legislative Headquarters, a newsletter outlining important legislation, and information about contacting state legislators.

Montana – The state’s House Judiciary Committee heard testimony on January 18 about House Bill 112, the “Save Women’s Sports Act.” The bill establishes three types of teams in public schools: male only, female only, or coed. Then it specifies that “athletic teams or sports designated for females, women, or girls may not be open to students of the male sex” in K-12 public schools or in public institutions of higher education.

The bill quotes a Washington Post opinion piece, written by “Duke Law professor and All-American track athlete Doriane Lambelet Coleman, tennis champion Martina Navratilova, and Olympic track gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross.” The author wrote, “The evidence is unequivocal that starting in puberty, in every sport except sailing, shooting, and riding, there will always be significant numbers of boys and men who would beat the best girls and women in head-to-head competition. Claims to the contrary are simply a denial of science.”

HB 112 was passed by the committee, 11 to 8. The Montana Family Foundation is actively supporting HB 112 – concerned Montanans can contact the organization for more information.

New Hampshire – HB198 has been introduced into the state’s General Court (its legislative body) and has been sent to the House Education Committee. The bill creates an exception to the state’s public education non-discrimination law. It states that law “shall not apply to a biological male by birth participating in all-female high school and postsecondary sports, recognizing the physiological differences between the biological sexes in athletics.”

The measure justifies protecting girls sports, saying, “Single-sex athletics is rooted in the reality of biological differences between the sexes and is rooted in objective biological fact and fairness.” It also notes, “Separate sex-specific teams further efforts to promote sex equality and fairness in keeping with the intent and purpose of the 1972 Title IX Law.”

North Dakota – House Bill 1298 doesn’t specifically mention schools, but says that the state or entities receiving funds from the state may not “allow an individual who was assigned the opposite sex at birth to participate on an athletic team sponsored or funded by the state” when that team is “exclusively for females or exclusively for males.” The bill defines “sex assigned at birth” as “the sex indicated on the individual’s original birth certificate issued at the time of birth.”

The House Human Services Committee will hear testimony about HB 1298 on January 25. Linda Thorson, a former educator and Director of Concerned Women for America of North Dakota, has already submitted testimony supporting the bill. She wrote, “Female athletics are a pathway to development, opportunity, and success for girls and women in America. So, when male-born athletes are permitted in women’s sports as transwomen, female-born athletes will lose hard-fought opportunities, which came about through the feminist movement in the implementation of Title IX.”

Others who believe biological males should not compete in girls sports should contact their legislators or connect with Family Policy Alliance of North Dakota, a Focus on the Family-affiliated organization.

Oklahoma – Senate Bill 331, also called the “Save Women’s Sports Act,” specifies that “athletic teams designated for ‘females’, ‘women’ or ‘girls’ shall not be open to students of the male sex.” The bill also gives students the right to seek damages for harms and protects them from retaliation when schools violate this law. The law applies to public schools, charter schools, colleges and universities.

The Oklahoma State Legislature opens February 1; and the legislature website has information about contacting state senators and representatives.

Tennessee – HB0003 and SB0228 are parallel bills that specify that “a student’s gender for purposes of participation in a public middle school or high school interscholastic athletic activity or event must be determined by the student’s sex at the time of the student’s birth, as indicated on the student’s original birth certificate.”

The bill explains, “Studies show that boys, on average, can be physically stronger than girls, having more skeletal muscle mass than girls and more upper-body and lower-body strength, which can result in injury to girls if girls participate in contact sports with boys.” It also says that “allowing boys to compete in girls athletic competitions discriminates against girls.”

Those wanting to preserve girls sports for biological females should connect with the Family Action Council of Tennessee.

South Carolina – H 3477 was introduced and referred to the House Judiciary Committee. Also titled the “Save Women’s Sports Act,” it only applies to public and private middle school and high school teams – not to public junior colleges, colleges or universities. The bill cites the U.S. Supreme Court, which “has recognized that sex classifications may be used … to advance full development of the talent and capacities of our nation’s people” and says one place where sex classifications should be allowed is “in the context of sports and athletics.”

The Palmetto Family Council is a Focus-affiliated organization advocating for life, religious freedom, marriage and family. Those who want to support H 3477 should contact them for information.