Op-ed views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author

Title IX was a victory for women and girls in 1972. In 2024, the Biden Administration’s rewrite of this coveted precedent left us as collateral damage. Under the guise of updating laws regarding how schools handle sex discrimination and abuse claims, the new Title IX expands “rights” for the transgender community. This means gender specific locker rooms and athletic teams, once a sanctuary for girls’ confidence, comradery, physical and psychological development, have been compromised.

Hypothetical? Hardly. A small issue? Tell that to the young women competing against gigantean golfers, swimmers, track athletes, cyclists, soccer players, basketball players, field hockey players and volleyball players who physically dominate their sport. That is, of course, if they haven’t lost a spot on the roster thanks to a biological male hijacking it.

Athletes for Action is a grassroots organization fighting to save Title IX and women’s sports. We are former record breaking D1 athletes, coaches, mothers, advocates and VOTERS. We come from different backgrounds, upbringings and demographics. Athletics is our common denominator and has given us the fighting spirit and focus we need to give our daughters – the same rights and opportunities we had as athletes.

Proponents of the new Title IX claim the changes are necessary to protect the civil rights of trans individuals. Supporters argue the number of trans athletes is so small it will not affect our female athletes in any significant way. However, the Williams Institute (based on a health survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) states that the trans youth population has DOUBLED in 5 years.

However, the Williams Institute (based on a health survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) says transgender individuals are younger on average than the general U.S. population. Nearly one in five people who identify as transgender (18%) are ages 13-17, compared to less than one in ten (8%) who are ages 13-17 in the general U.S. population.

Some believe the increase is due to the evolution of education and acceptance as it pertains to transgender individuals, others argue social media impacts how children identify. The changes in Title IX, force us and our daughters to adopt the same perception that an individual perceives themselves – regardless of physiological differences and advantages. Science, which the left claims to rely on quite often, tells us that men are stronger and faster and they have greater lung capacity – traits that benefit male athletes immensely. According to the Biden-Harris administration, keeping males who identify as women off women’s teams violates Title IX, so protesting this policy likewise violates the statute. In other words, defending women’s rights is a violation of a statute intended to grant women equal opportunities.

In addition, if you are a female athlete and speak out against biological men on your team or in your locker room, you may be silenced like our friend and member, Paula Scanlan. Paula is a sexual abuse survivor. Speaking up saved her life. But years later, as a decorated collegiate swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania, she was quieted by her administration. Paula and her teammates were informed that Will Thomas, who competed on the men’s team, wanted to be identified as Lia and would therefore compete on the women’s team. Thomas took away trophies, medals, records and privacy. He would share the women’s locker room as a fully intact male. Thomas also expressed he was still sexually attracted to women. Paula was told if she had a problem with this change, she should seek counseling.

Another example of the left’s impenetrable stance on trans equality was the removal of Kim Russell as Oberlin’s Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach in 2023. Historically apathetic to politics, Russell always leaned left. She was a one-issue voter, staunchly pro-choice. That was BEFORE the Title IX changes and before Oberlin ended her collegiate coaching career when she publicly stated biological men had no place in women’s sports – a sentiment over 69% of the country shares.

For those of you who aren’t athletes, being a part of a team is more than winning, goals, tackles, and physical exertion. As a mother of two D1 collegiate men’s lacrosse players and a middle school girl athlete, it would be absurd for member Bridget Michener, NOT to stand up for the protection of Title IX. But there’s more to it. Growing up, her father abandoned Bridget and her mother. Athletics afforded her a support system and allies who challenged her on the field to be a better version of herself and pursue a life far better than the one she inherited. She found solace and inspiration in sports and was able to grow comfortable in her own body both on the field and in the locker room with women she knew supported her. Under the current Title IX, how would that have changed her teenage years?

Member Liz Harris, a decorated two-sport collegiate athlete and a former Division I coach, says the rewrite of Title IX leaves our girls behind, and the Democrats who claim to fight for women are, in fact, bending the knee to more discrimination. Similarly, Meg Burke who was a two time NCAA champion & American record holder, and a mother to two daughters, feels abandoned by an administration posing as a champion for women. Burke’s daughter competed last year at the age of 7 in soccer against two transgender girls. Harris’s 14-year-old daughter changes in the same locker room as a biological male who competes on the school’s girl’s volleyball team. When Harris questioned why her daughter was forced to change in the same space as a biological male, the school’s response was that the protocol was consistent with a respected children’s hospital that wrote guidelines on how to best preserve the mental health and physical safety of trans kids. What about the safety and mental health of girls?

Trump has promised to restore Title IX’s original language. We understand Trump is a polarizing figure to many women, but this isn’t about how you feel about a candidate. This election is about how you feel about the rights for girls and women and choosing a path that gives females the opportunity Title IX once provided so that girls and women may once again safely excel in a space that fertilizes their strengths and perseverance. Your vote is your voice, your voice is your power. Save girl’s sports and vote RED.

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• The left’s destruction of Title IX - October 30, 2024

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