On Thursday, a federal judge temporarily blocked Arizona from enforcing a law that would protect women’s and girls' sports from biological male athletes who believe they are “trans women.”
According to the Associated Press, a judge in Tucson granted a preliminary injunction to allow processing of a lawsuit filed by two “transgender girls” against the state’s act protecting the fairness and integrity in women’s sports. Reportedly, the plaintiffs argue that the law is discriminatory and violates Title IX. One is a 15-year-old volleyball player and the other is an 11-year-old who wants to play soccer, basketball and cross country on girls’ teams.
Arizona’s Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne, a defendant, reportedly said he will appeal this decision.
“Title IX was aimed at giving girls equal opportunities for playing sports. When a biological boy plays in a girls’ sport, it disadvantages the girls,” Horne told AP when the lawsuit was filed earlier this year. “There have been lots of news stories about girls who worked hard to excel at their sports, found they could not when they had to compete against biological boys and were devastated by that.”
This month, Republican Rep. Debbie Lesko, who represents Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, said that she supports only biological girls in girls’ sports.
Sports should be an outlet for girls to gain confidence, have fun, and learn important life lessons. They should NOT be afraid of suffering lifelong injuries or having their accomplishments diminished due to an unequal playing field. I'm proud to stand with Arizona and support…
— Congresswoman Debbie Lesko (@RepDLesko) July 11, 2023
In recent years, many states have passed legislation protecting women's sports, restrooms, and locker rooms from biological males who identify as transgender. For many states, this occurred after Will "Lia" Thomas made headlines for competing on the women's swim team at the University of Pennsylvania and used the women's changing facilities.
At the federal level, Republican lawmakers are working to pass legislation that would protect women’s sports. Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s and Florida Rep. Greg Steube’s legislation is called the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023.” The legislation would strengthen Title IX protections to ensure that "sex" does not include the concept of "gender identity" in federal civil rights laws.
“Throughout my coaching career, I saw the incomparable success of Title IX and the educational and personal opportunities sports have provided to millions of female athletes. For more than 50 years, this law has empowered young women to grow personally, compete professionally, and receive scholarships to further their education,” Sen. Tuberville told Townhall when he introduced the legislation.
“By allowing biological males onto women’s teams and into women’s locker rooms, the woke Left is working to completely wipe away women’s sports,” he continued, adding that “It’s unfair, it’s unsafe, and it’s wrong. We cannot stand by and let girls and women in sports lose to the radical left’s agenda.”