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Several athletes and sports activists took aim at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in a Super Bowl-style ad on Saturday.
In the latest TV ad for sportswear brand XX-XY Athletics, a coalition of “Save Women’s Sports” activists, led by Riley Gaines, mocked the ACLU for its recent video promoting the rights of trans athletes in women’s sports.
For its “More Than a Game” campaign, the ACLU released a video featuring former women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe in support of trans athletes. On its website, the group says it supports trans youth and their families and their rights to “be themselves.”
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“Sports are not about inclusion.” Jennifer Sey criticizes ACLU ad with Megan Rapinoe (Robert Cianflone/Getty Images/Athletics XX-XY)
Now, Gaines and XX-XY Athletics co-founder Jennifer Sey have responded with their “Women’s Sports Isn’t Just a Game” announcement.
The promotion featured prominent activists, including former San Jose State University volleyball player Brooke Slusser, former University of Kentucky swimmer Kaitlynn Wheeler, former ESPN host Sage Steele and OutKick founder Clay Travis.
The ACLU has received immense criticism from women’s activists in recent years for its role in advocating for the inclusion of biological trans male athletes in women’s and girls’ sports. ACLU attorneys defended trans athletes in cases before the U.S. Supreme Court on January 13.
One of the clients the ACLU represented at the hearing was a trans teen from West Virginia. The teenager has been accused of sexual harassment in the women’s locker room by the family of a teammate. The ACLU has denied the allegations.
Sey criticized the ACLU for defending the teen amid the allegations.
INSIDE THE SCOTUS HEARING WILL BE A INVISION POINT IN THE CULTURAL WAR OVER TRANS ATHLETES IN WOMEN’S SPORTS
“The ACLU is trying to erase the fact that [the teen] It’s a boy. A boy who has been accused of sexual harassment of his teammates in the locker room. They are trying to paint him as the victim and as a good girl who just wants to hang out with friends and have fun on the team. “That’s an insult to the girls who train hard to even make the team,” Sey told Pak Gazette Digital.
“It devalues their hard work. Girls are not disabled children. Women and girls are not an eligible category. We are resetting the cultural conversation. And we are not giving an inch. Not on language, not on equity, not on the rights of girls and women.”
“The ACLU is trying to redefine the meaning of competitive sports, as well as what a woman is. We are not going to let that happen. A woman is an adult human woman and sports are not about freedom and self-expression. Sports are about digging deep to find the best in yourself. Sports are about mastery and merit and, yes, competing to win. Women deserve a level playing field. They deserve the opportunity to compete and win.”
Pak Gazette Digital reached out to the ACLU for a response.
The ACLU previously provided a statement to Pak Gazette Digital addressing the allegations against its client.
“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,” the statement read.
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During the Jan. 13 SCOTUS hearing, ACLU attorney Joshua Block argued before the justices that “sex” should not be defined.
Block then fled from Pak Gazette Digital’s questioning outside of court about his argument and the allegations against his client.
Despite expectations that the court’s conservative majority will ultimately rule against the ACLU’s trans athlete clients, the firm continues to voice its support for men in women’s sports.
Sey, Gaines and the other activists look like they will respond fiercely.
