national university organization voted unanimously Transgender athletes will be banned from participating in sports on Monday.
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ Council of Presidents voted 20-0 to expand previous restrictions on postseason competition to all competitions.
“We know there are a lot of different opinions out there,” NAIA President Jim Kerr told CBS Sports.
“For us, we believed that our first responsibility was to create fairness and competition at NAIA,” Kerr added. “We also believe this is consistent with why Title IX was created: allowing women to have separate but equal opportunities to compete.”
The new policy limits athletes who can participate in women’s sports to those born female. Athletes who have started masculinizing hormone therapy as part of their gender transition will also be restricted from participating in competitions.
“It’s important to know that men’s sports are open to everyone,” Kerr said.
Amy Novak, Chair of the President’s Council and President of St. Ambrose University, explained the reasoning behind the vote.
“The task force spent nearly two years reviewing research, meeting with experts to better understand potential policy issues, and receiving feedback from multiple member groups,” Novak said.
“Through this policy, the NAIA has made every effort to allow transgender athletes to participate in a manner that does not impact the fairness of competition in women’s sports,” she added. “Our priority is to protect the integrity of women’s athletics and provide equal opportunity to succeed.”
National Women’s Law Center Special Counsel Shiwali Patel expressed anger at the vote.
“This is unacceptable and blatant discrimination that not only hurts transgender, non-binary and intersex individuals, but also limits the potential of all athletes,” Patel said. statement On the website. “It is important to recognize that these discriminatory policies do not level the playing field; rather, they send a message of exclusion and reinforce dangerous stereotypes that harm all women. is.”
Sports LGBTQ+ organization Athlete Ally has also registered. anger Against NAIA.
“This policy is a failure of NAIA leadership and a sad day for women’s sports,” the organization said in a statement. “I hope other sports governing bodies will not bow to political pressure and fight for a future of sports where everyone can belong.”
Patel went on to call on the Biden administration to clarify Title IX rules to classify the transgender ban as illegal.
Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, the NAIA manages 241 small and private college athletic conferences.
As for the transgender discussion:
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