In a letter Tuesday, the Republican caucus called on the NCAA to “update its Student-Athlete Participation Policy to require that only biologically female students participate in women’s sports.”
“In the midst of an unprecedented attack on Title IX by the Biden-Harris Administration, we urge the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to update its Student-Athlete Participation Policy to require that only biologically female students participate in women’s sports,” the letter, signed and addressed to NCAA president Charlie Baker, said. Republican Senators It will be read by lawmakers including Sens. Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.), Tommy Tuberville (Ala.), Katie Britt (Ala.) and Joni Ernst (Iowa).
Earlier this year, hundreds of current and former college, professional and Olympic athletes called on the NCAA to not bar transgender athletes from women’s college sports. Among those who signed the letter were former WNBA star Sue Bird and former U.S. women’s national soccer phenom Megan Rapinoe.
“As the NCAA’s highest governing body and a member of an organization dedicated to supporting the well-being of not only its athletes but sports itself, we ask that you focus on the needs of NCAA athletes of all genders, which have been documented for many years,” the athletes’ letter read.
In their letter, the Republican senators argued that the “science” on the issue is “clear.”
“Men are inherently more athletic than women due to anatomical and biological characteristics, including larger hearts, higher red blood cell counts, greater lung capacity, greater endurance, greater muscle mass, different bone density and shape, and less body fat,” the senators’ letter continues. “When comparing the athletic performance of adult men to that of adult women in sports that rely on endurance, strength, speed, and power, men consistently have an advantage, outperforming women by 10 to 30 percent.”
LGBTQ advocacy groups, including the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Against the ban It would prohibit transgender athletes from competing in sports against other athletes who share the same gender identity.
“Transgender young people face all kinds of abuse, including harassment, harsh discipline and physical or sexual assault, because of their gender identity,” HRC said on its webpage on transgender and non-binary athletes.
“There are many very real challenges that transgender youth face, including mistreatment at school, rejection from family, threats of physical violence, and other discrimination,” the page continued. “Anti-transgender sports bans threaten to further marginalize young people who already face significant challenges in school. Those who support these bans argue that transgender athletes are pretending to be transgender in order to do well in sports, but they completely ignore the incredible stigma that transgender youth face.”
Hill contacted the NCAA.
