School competition, especially college sports, has become an important part of the fabric of our country. And in increasingly divided times, athletic competitions are one of the few things that unite Americans of all backgrounds. I think many people can agree that college athletics is a patriotic tradition, a tradition to which I am proud to have dedicated my 40-year career before becoming a senator.
Title IX in particular has played an important role in weaving the fabric of this great American tradition. It leveled the playing field by creating opportunities for women to compete and earn the same scholarships as men. He has instilled valuable lessons such as work ethic, healthy habits and teamwork in countless young people over the past 50 years. It has provided millions of women across the country with educational and professional opportunities that have benefited them throughout their lives.
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Transgender flag and division with track finish line (Getty Images)
Unfortunately, over the past four years, the Biden administration has gone to great lengths to dismantle Title IX protections for women in favor of radical gender ideology. President Biden’s Department of Education intended to rewrite Title IX, issuing a rule that would force schools to allow men to compete in women’s sports and require them to share private spaces. All in the name of “gender equity.” In recent days, they rescinded this proposed rule, perhaps realizing how out of touch that stance is with the American public. But his intention was very clear.
As a result, what I have long called one of the best laws ever passed by Congress hangs in the balance. If the unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats in Washington, DC continued to do what they want, Title IX as we know it would cease to exist. Women’s opportunities to safely participate in and benefit from school athletics would be greatly diminished, which would not only be detrimental to female student athletes, but to the entire country.
With President Trump’s resounding victory last November, the American people sent a clear message to Washington that they want to protect and preserve the original purpose of Title IX. One of the main reasons President Trump won in a landslide is because he ran on the issue of saving women’s sports. Seventy percent of Americans agree: Men don’t belong in sports or women’s locker rooms.
That’s why I’m proud that my bill, the Women and Girls in Sports Protection Act, or S. 9, is one of the first pieces of legislation considered by Congress this month. This legislation will right the Biden administration’s mistakes by preventing women from being exposed to unfair and dangerous competition, as well as protecting women’s privacy in locker rooms.
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Transgender Penn swimmer Lia Thomas speaks with her coach after winning the 500-meter freestyle during an NCAA college swimming meet with Harvard on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)
The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act will achieve this by doing two things. First, it ensures that Title IX provisions treat gender as “recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.” I find it incredible that this needs to be legislated, but after four years on the crazy train under Joe Biden, it clearly needs to be said. Second, it prohibits recipients of federal funds from operating, sponsoring, or facilitating sports programs that allow men to participate in a women’s sporting event.
While this legislation is critically needed to stop the erosion of women’s athletics, it is also important to me on a personal level. For one thing, although most people know me as a soccer coach, my first job after college was coaching women’s basketball. Title IX had just been implemented at the time and I saw firsthand the tremendous impact it had on women’s sports. For the first time, female athletes received the same opportunities, scholarships and resources as male athletes. To this day, I stay in touch with the girls I trained because of the opportunities Title IX provides.
Also, this spring I will welcome my first granddaughter. I want for her what so many young women before her have benefited from since Title IX became law in 1972. I want her to have the same opportunities available, without having to worry about men competing against her, harming her, or invading her. your privacy. . I’m sure there are many fathers and grandfathers across the country who want the same thing for their daughters.
Senator Tommy Tuberville delivers his acceptance speech during an election night event at the Renaissance Hotel in Montgomery, Alabama, Tuesday, November 3, 2020. (IMAGE)
Since I came to the Senate, I have vowed to never stop fighting until the rights of American women and girls to compete fairly are fully protected. I am glad that the time has finally come when the Senate can fulfill my commitment. I encourage all of my colleagues, both Republicans and Democrats, to support my legislation. By uniting behind the Protecting Women and Girls in Sports Act, Title IX will be restored, knitting back together a piece of the American fabric that has made our country more united and less divided.
