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Mullin
On June 23rd, 1972, President Nixon signed Title IX into law. This landmark legislation had one goal in mind: to protect women from sex discrimination in all federally funded school programs, including sports. Because of the access to funding and opportunity this historic legislation created, there has been a 545% increase in the number of women playing college sports and a 990% increase in the number of women playing high school sports.
There is no doubt that Title IX has created lifechanging opportunities for countless female athletes and has opened the path for many of the top-level women in sports that we see dominate their respective field today. Yet somehow, we are on the verge of this historic protection being used counter to its intent.
The progressive “woke” movement is coming for women’s sports in the name of “gender equality” — a dangerous policy permitting biological men to compete against women if they claim an alternate gender status. Now, many school districts, sports leagues, and athletics organizations are allowing them to compete in women’s athletics. The consequences of this can be seen all over the country. In one instance, transgender athlete Cece Telfer first competed on the Franklin Pierce University men’s track and field team in 2016 and 2017 and after her transition, she joined the women’s team instead. She won the both the 100-meter and 400-meter hurdles at the Women’s 2019 Track and Field NCAA Division II National Championships, edging out the closest female competitors by over a second and a half.
Allowing biological men to compete in women’s sports is unfair, unsafe, and completely undermines the purpose ofTitle IX. As the father of three girls involved in wrestling, I want them to be able to compete on a level playing field. This is why I am opposed to H.R. 5, the Equality Act, a bill that House Democrats are trying to pass this week and which would withhold federal funds from any school, college, or university that does not allow biological males who identify as females to compete on women’s sports teams.
Allowing states to grossly misinterpret and manipulate Title IX results in limited access to opportunity for women athletes across the country. Equality in sports should be a cause we can all get behind, because if our laws do not recognize the biological difference between men and women, females who compete in sports will be the ones to suffer the consequences.
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