Who Is Standing Up for the Females?

             In 1972 the federal law known as Title IX was signed into law. Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sex in education systems. The signing of this law made a huge impact on girls and women and their sports program. Suddenly, there were all kinds of sports for girls to play. Do you know why?

            For decades, there were numerous sports teams for men and boys. In my high school, boys played football, basketball, baseball, golf and ran track and cross-country. There were no sports teams for girls. You read that right! There were no teams for girls. Zero. None.

Title IX requires equality in sports. If there are five teams for boys, then there must be five teams for girls. The number of teams does not matter. All that matters is that there are equal numbers of teams for girls as there are for boys. That is why Title IX was so important to females of all ages.

            Then some boys who felt like girls started joining sports teams for girls and winning championships. It is nearly impossible for girls to compete on the same level as boys because their anatomies are different from the time of birth. By the time they reach puberty, there are huge differences. The average man has longer legs and bigger muscles than the average woman and can run faster. If allowed, biological men who think they are women will take over women’s sports. However, there is one person who holds enough power to stop such ideas.

            Senator Kelly Loeffler of Georgia had the opportunity to play sports as a young woman, and she is taking action to block biological males from competing against females. The bill is titled the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2020, and it will amend Title IX if adopted. It declares that “it shall be a violation … to permit a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls.” It also specifies that “sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.” Loeffler made the following comment about the bill. 

Title IX established a fair and equal chance for women and girls to compete, and sports should be no exception. As someone who learned invaluable life lessons and built confidence playing sports throughout my life, I’m proud to lead this legislation to ensure girls of all ages can enjoy those same opportunities. This commonsense bill protects women and girls by safeguarding fairness and leveling the athletic field that Title IX guarantees.

            Only one state – Idaho – has passed similar legislation. However, Title IX is a federal law that needs to be strengthen on a federal level. I am grateful that there are women like Loeffler that is standing up for the females of the nation.