WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) and colleagues recently sent a letter to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) President Charlie Baker demanding he update the organization’s student-athlete policy to ensure only biologically female students can participate in women’s sports.
“Amid the Biden – Harris administration’s unprecedented assault on Title IX, we write to urge the National Collegiate Athletic Association to update your student-athlete participation policy to require that only biologically female students participate in women’s sports. The 2024 Summer Olympics are upon us, and the NCAA has boasted about its athletes’ participation. Yet the NCAA has still taken no steps to protecting a critical portion of these athletes. Several organizations—including the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the Court of Arbitration for Sport—in addition to more than 20 states, have acted recently to protect women’s sports. We urge the NCAA to follow suit,” the senators wrote.
“In April of this year, the NAIA Council of Presidents unanimously approved a new policy prohibiting the participation of males in women’s sports. Similarly, in June of this year, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Lia Thomas lacked standing to challenge World Aquatic’s policy barring Thomas from competing in the women’s category for the Olympics. These decisions are rooted in the fundamental knowledge that—while each individual should have access to sports—men and women have biological differences that must be respected. We urge you to follow the lead of the NAIA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport and adopt policies that protect women’s sports,” the senators concluded.
Background:
“In conjunction with the Biden-Harris administration, the NCAA has turned their back on women by disregarding Title IX and its original intent. It’s unfair, it’s unsafe, and it’s discriminatory. I’m grateful to Senator Blackburn and every Senator who has joined this effort to fight for our rights to equal opportunity, privacy, and safety. This is the civil rights issue of our time.” – Riley Gaines, 12x NCAA All-American swimmer
“Men and women are different. Period. Title IX was implemented because of that reality, in order to give women the same opportunities in sports as their male counterparts. But now those opportunities are being ripped away from them because of men who are identifying as female and organizations like the NCAA who are allowing them to compete against women. The NCAA says it supports its female athletes – it’s time that those words were followed by actions.” – Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Women for America
“Men do not belong in women’s sports. This obvious truth is based in science and backed by the vast majority of Americans. By giving men access to women’s spaces and teams, the NCAA is violating its responsibility to protect student athletes from unsafe, unfair competition. The integrity of college sports hinges on the NCAA’s resolve to do the right thing and put the rights of female athletes above political pandering.” – Ryan Walker, Executive Vice President, Heritage Action
“The NCAA touts its Emerging Sports For Women Program and other programs meant to encourage female athletes’ achievements, all while embracing policies that continue to erase them. The NCAA has rejected pleas from more than 7,000 NCAA athletes, and demands from women’s rights organizations, feminist organizations, sports organizations, female Olympians and lawyers urging the NCAA to take immediate action to repeal its discriminatory policy that allows male athletes to compete in women’s sports — taking trophies, roster sports, playing time, resources, and opportunities to compete from women and girls. Independent Women’s Forum and Independent Women’s Law Center are grateful for members of Congress who know this is unjust and are asking the NCAA to do the right thing.” – Carrie Lukas, President/Independent Women’s Forum and May Mailman, Director/Independent Women’s Law Center
“I was at the NCAA meeting when Pat Griffin and Helen Carroll presented their transgender inclusion policy for adoption. We were told that one year of cross-sex hormones would remove male-advantage from men who wanted to compete with women. We were assured that the science was conclusive. Years later, we now know that the science that the NCAA relied on was wrong, and that newer research shows that no amount of hormones or surgery can roll back male athletic advantage. The NCAA should recognize the now well-established science and change their policy to protect women’s sports.” – Nancy Hogshead, J.D., OLY, Founder and CEO, Champion Women
