Last week, The Iowa Standard pointed out that the Iowa Catholic Conference and the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition failed to register in support of a bill that protects women’s sports in Iowa. You can read that piece here.
On Saturday, Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition sent the following press release:
The Faith & Freedom Coalition on Wednesday announced support for Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds (R) and state Republicans who championed a bill protecting the integrity of women’s sports in the state. Reynolds signed the bill, HF 2416, into law last week.
“It is vital that girls have the opportunity to compete in sports on an equal playing field, and this new law protects this opportunity,” said Faith and Freedom Coalition Executive Director Timothy Head.
“Sports is an opportunity to learn key values: hard work, commitment, teamwork, and leadership. Our student-athletes should be free to compete and pursue awards and scholarships without having to face unfair competition. This law protects the integrity of youth sports in Iowa.”
Iowa’s new law, HF 2416, requires student-athletes of all school levels to participate in interscholastic school sports based on their biological sex listed on their birth certificate. It requires schools to designate sporting competitions as either male, female, or co-ed. It further specifies that only female students may participate in womens’ sports. Students suffering harm from violations of the law have a private cause of action for damages and relief.
“I commend Republican legislators and Gov. Reynolds for enacting this commonsense law,” said Steve Scheffler, President of the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition. “Families in Iowa will benefit from this legislation that upholds our ideals of fair competition and sportsmanship. This is yet another victory for conservative values in Iowa.”
