NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
More than 200 women lawmakers signed an amicus brief backing the legal case to “save women’s sports” ahead of next week’s Supreme Court oral arguments for two cases related to the issue.
The brief features the signatures of exactly 207 legislators, with Idaho State Representative Barbara Ehardt being the lead friend.
Other notable names on the list include Maine state Rep. Laurel Libby, who became a central figure in the national debate over women’s sports when she was censured for outing a trans athlete last February, Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, Iowa State Senate President Amy Sinclair, Missouri State Sen. Cindy O’Laughlin, Alaska State Sen. Shelly Hughes, Kansas State Rep. Kristy Williams, and North Dakota State Senator Janne Myrdal.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
All of the signatories are Republicans, as nearly all Democratic lawmakers across the country have stood firmly in favor of allowing biological males to compete in women’s and girls’ sports.
The brief argues that “since the existence of separate sports programs for women is justified by biological differences between women and men, there are extremely persuasive reasons for determining eligibility for such programs using biological criteria rather than a person’s sense of gender.”
Supreme Court justices will hear arguments Tuesday in a pair of cases from West Virginia and Idaho, where trans athlete plaintiffs previously successfully challenged those states’ laws to keep men out of women’s and girls’ sports.
Several amicus briefs have already been filed, some in support of defendants seeking to “save women’s sports” and others in support of trans inclusion.
Super Bowl-winning head coach Barry Switzerland and 31 Olympic athletes signed an amicus brief in support of the legal defense to “save women’s sports” ahead of two upcoming Supreme Court cases on trans athletes. Among the signatories are also 12 Olympic medalists, including eight gold medalists.
Meanwhile, 130 Democratic members of Congress signed an amicus brief urging the justices to rule in favor of two trans athletes.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffires, D-N.Y.; Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.; Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.; Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.; Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas; Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.; Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.; Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif.; Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif.; Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.; Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.; Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and Sen. Jeff Merkely, D-Ore., are among the lawmakers on that list.
FEDERAL JUDGE RULES IN FAVOR OF ALLOWING SCOTUS CASE ON TRANS ATHLETES TO PROCEED AFTER ATTEMPT TO DISMISS
Two West Virginia students and their families came forward with the allegations against one of the trans plaintiffs ahead of oral arguments in the case next week. The trans athlete is represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Pak Gazette Digital is not revealing the name of the trans athlete because he is a minor.
Bridgeport High School student Adaleia Cross, a former track teammate of the trans athlete when they were both at Bridgeport Middle School, alleges that the trans athlete made comments to her that constituted sexual harassment in the girls’ locker room. Cross, who is a year older than the trans athlete, said he quit the track team at Bridgeport High School last year as a sophomore to avoid sharing a locker room with the trans athlete again once he reached high school.
Cross’s mother, Abby, told Pak Gazette Digital what the trans athlete allegedly said to her daughter when they shared the girls’ locker room during the 2022-23 school year. Adaleia was in eighth grade and the trans athlete was in seventh.
SUPER BOWL CHAMPION COACH AND OLYMPIANS SIGN AMICUS REPORT SUPPORTING PROTECTION OF FEMALE ATHLETES IN THE SCOTUS CASE
Abby Cross alleges that the trans athlete made extremely graphic and vulgar sexual threats to her daughter and other girls on the team.
The ACLU has responded to the Cross family’s allegations.
“Our client and her mother deny these allegations and the school district investigated the allegations reported to the school by AC and found them to be unfounded. We remain committed to upholding the rights of all students under Title IX, including the right to a safe and inclusive learning environment, free from harassment and discrimination,” reads an ACLU statement provided to Pak Gazette Digital.
The Cross family’s attorneys at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) responded to the ACLU’s statement.
“Our client has sworn under oath and under penalty of perjury in numerous cases regarding the events that took place between her and the male athlete. As a result of the situation, [Cross] “He had to completely step away from the sport he loved and sacrifice a key element of his school experience to protect himself,” read an ADF statement provided to Pak Gazette Digital.
The ADF is also representing the state of West Virginia against the trans athlete in the case that will be reviewed by the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, former Lincoln Middle School girls track runner Emmy Salerno alleges that the trans athlete used “intimidation tactics” against her after Salerno refused to compete against the trans athlete during an event in the spring 2024 season.
“After we went out, there was an immediate personality change. He didn’t want to talk to me. He just wanted to look at me and look down,” Salerno told Pak Gazette Digital.
Salerno said there was an incident where the trans athlete followed her while they were at a local basketball game, giving her intimidating looks, and Salerno was concerned that the trans athlete would try to “fight” her.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pak Gazette APP
“At the basketball game, when he followed me around, I thought, ‘Is he going to try to fight me?'” Salerno said. “‘Are you going to try to sneak up behind me and hit me?'”
The ACLU has not responded to Pak Gazette Digital’s request for a response to Salerno’s allegations.
