Yesterday, the US Department of Justice filed a statement of interest arguing that women athletes should not be forced to compete against biological males in school sports. The brief, which was filed in response to a lawsuit brought by high school girl athletes against the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC), made clear that rewriting athletic qualifications on the basis of subjective “gender identity” undermines the protections granted to women by Title IX:
Title IX and its implementing regulations prohibit discrimination solely ‘on the basis of sex,’ not on the basis of transgender status, and therefore neither require nor authorize CIAC’s transgender policy. To the contrary, CIAC’s construction of Title IX as requiring the participation of students on athletic teams that reflect their gender identity would turn the statute on its head.
American Principles Project (APP) has worked in recent years to draw attention to attacks on biological reality in school sports, most notably running a high-profile digital ad campaign on the issue during the 2019 Kentucky gubernatorial race. APP plans to duplicate this effort in the 2020 presidential election.
In response to the DOJ’s brief, APP executive director Terry Schilling released the following statement praising the agency’s action:
What a difference an election can make. Just four years ago, the Obama administration was threatening schools with a loss of funding if they failed to allow biological males to participate in girls’ sports. This was total insanity, and yet it unfortunately spread to many states like Connecticut, which adopted policies eliminating a fair playing field for women athletes. Now, high school girls are being forced to sue in order to preserve their rights under Title IX.
Thankfully, the Trump administration has proven to be a strong defender of equal opportunities for women, and this DOJ action is just the latest example. As Democrats continue their push to wipe out women’s sports through legislation such as the so-called ‘Equality Act,’ we encourage President Trump and Republicans to keep opposing these efforts and supporting girl athletes. Standing up on this issue will only help the GOP come November.
