When legislators learned that men were competing in girls’ sports, 27 states passed laws effectively declaring, “Not on my watch.” These laws aimed to ensure equal opportunity for female athletes and prevent them from being sidelined in their own sports.

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) has been actively involved in this fight for nearly a decade. The organization supported Selina Soule and her Connecticut teammates as they competed against males and witnessed 15 girls’ state titles awarded to male competitors. ADF also celebrated when President Donald Trump signed an executive order recognizing the biological distinction between male and female and directing the federal government to keep men out of women’s sports.

In West Virginia, one boy displaced over 470 girls more than 1,400 times, including winning a state championship. ADF warns that the Protect College Sports Act, a federal bill now moving through Congress, could undermine the progress made by these 27 states despite its intended purpose.

Until Congress passes legislation that protects women’s sports nationwide, it should ensure that no federal law weakens the states that have acted and that advocates for women’s sports remain free to encourage other states to follow suit.

Sources