Tennessee House Republicans Call On NCAA To Reverse Decision Allowing Men In Women’s Sports
Tennessee House Republicans unanimously called on the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to reverse its controversial decision to allow trans-identifying males in women’s sports.
The new letter signed by all 75 House Republicans was sent on the first day of the NCAA’s annual convention, which takes place in Nashville.
“The hard work of female athletes is now in serious jeopardy. The NCAA’s 2010 rule change allowing men who decide to be women and displace real women in competitive sports has had devastating consequences,” read the letter to NCAA President Charlie Baker.
The NCAA oversees more than 500,000 college athletes at about 1,100 schools.
The letter outlines several concerns with trans-identifying males in women’s sports, including the physical safety of female athletes, lost victories, and lack of privacy in women’s locker rooms.
“Forcing women to compete against males in noncontact sports is unfair at best, but allowing them to compete in contact sports approaches abuse and creates opportunities for serious injury,” the Republicans wrote. “And when a man is given access to female locker rooms and bathrooms, it infringes on every woman’s reasonable expectation to the right of privacy and robs their dignity.”
The lawmakers called the idea “absurd” that men competing against women is “inclusive and safe.”
“The actions by the NCAA are humiliating and destructive to young women and the NCAA’s leaders should know and act better,” they said.
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The Republicans called on the collegiate sports governing body to “take bold action to protect women’s sports” during their convention this month.
The letter was spearheaded by House Majority Whip Johnny Garrett, who also on Tuesday filed a measure honoring Tennessee native and former college athlete Riley Gaines for her advocacy against men in women’s sports.
“Americans have spoken loud and clear on this issue, and they do not want men entering their daughters’ locker rooms or bathrooms, stealing their scholarship opportunities and robbing them of their records and hard-fought victories. We are hopeful the NCAA will do the right thing; Men have no place in women’s sports,” Garrett said in a statement.
Over the last few years, the country has seen fierce backlash to trans-identifying men competing with and against women.
Female athletes have spoken out about losing competitions to male competitors, their uncomfortable experiences being in a locker room with a male, and several have suffered devastating injuries due to a male player.
Tennessee has passed several laws aimed at keeping males out of women’s sports at both the K-12 and college level.