Dear Congressmember,

A letter about Title IX

Dear Congressmember _________:

I’m a lifelong Democrat, and I am writing to share my concern that you voted no on the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023, H.R. 734. I have read the bill and do not see anything about it to which Democrats should object in principle. It is certainly not transphobic, and any issues with its wording could easily have been addressed by amendments codifying reasonable exceptions, for example, in the case of pre-puberty intramural athletics. With regard to post-puberty athletics, and particularly competitive athletics, however, it is flabbergasting to see my own Democratic Party take a position that descends into abject science denial.

Powerful scientific evidence, provided in study after study, has demonstrated that male puberty brings with it insurmountable advantages that cannot be overcome, even with suppression of testosterone. And certainly Democrats, past champions of women’s rights, should not be in the business of destroying any semblance of a level playing field for natal women and girls in order to cater to natal boys and men who simply raise their hands to self-identify as women.

I ask you, as my representative, to lead the way to a return to following the science. Excellent models abound that the Democrats might follow, including that proposed by Martina Navratilova, under which there would be two competitive categories, one for natal females only and the other open to anyone. Other excellent proposals include those offered by the Women’s Sports Policy Working Group and Seb Coe with World Athletics. At present, however, the position Democrats are currently wedded to turns girls’ and women’s athletic ambitions into a joke. We’ve already seen what this looks like when natal males are allowed to compete against and take medals away from natal female athletes.

I urge you in the strongest possible terms to reconsider your position on this issue and return to following the science. Natal women and girls need your support, now more than ever.

Sincerely,

XXXX