Megan Rapinoe & Other Athletes Petitioned Against Bill Seeking An Amendment To Protection Of Women & Girls In Sports Act

Among the 40 professional, Olympic, and paralympic athletes that co-signed a letter to House members opposing the Protection of Girls and Women in Sports Act that goes against transgender rights were Megan Rapinoe, Sue Bird, and Becky Sauerbrunn.

Megan Rapinoe & Other Athletes Petitioned Against Bill Against Transgender Rights Seeking An Amendment To Protection Of Women & Girls In Sports Act

Sports Illustrated reports that the letter was sent on Monday by the athlete advocacy group Athlete Ally. The athletes contend that rather than protecting women in sports, the measure will prevent girls and women from benefiting from “mental and physical health benefits.” The bill seeks to clarify Title IX by classifying athletes by biology, rather than identity.

“We believe that gender equity in sport is critical, which is why we urge policymakers to turn their attention and effort to the causes women athletes have been fighting for decades, including equal pay, an end to abuse and mistreatment, uneven implementation of Title IX, and a lack of access and equity for girls of color and girls with disabilities, to name only a few. Our deepest hope is that transgender and intersex kids will never have to feel the isolation, exclusion and othering that H.R. 734 is seeking to enshrine into law,” the letter reads.

The Biden administration suggested the exact opposite last week. It desires that the allocation of funds for female athletics be based on gender identification.

The issue with Title IX is that it was only passed into law in 1972. Of course, there were no “transgender athletes” in America in the early 1970s. Both men and women competed against one another.

However, the meaning of Title IX has come under examination as a result of the rapid increase of biological males who want to compete against women.

What Is The Proposed Bill About?

The proposed regulation would give schools the freedom to create rules that exclude trans athletes from participating on more competitive teams if such rules are intended to guarantee fairness or avoid sports-related accidents.

Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., introduced the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act in February. According to the proposed legislation, Title IX would be changed “to provide that, for purposes of determining compliance with Title IX of such Act in athletics, sex shall be recognised based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.”

The bill also says it would be a violation of the act for “a recipient of Federal financial assistance who operates, sponsors, or facilitates 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.”

 

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