Trump’s First 100 Days Marked by Support for Female Athletes

LGBT,

Our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom continue to highlight how the Trump Administration is working to prevent women’s athletics from being erased in American.

ADF writes,

During President Donald Trump’s first 100 days, he took important steps to protect female athletes. Most notably, he signed an executive order in February 2025 aimed at keeping men out of women’s sports. Selina Soule, an ADF client and former high school track athlete, was unjustly forced to compete against male athletes during her athletic career. She joined another female athlete, Paula Scanlan, on Newsmax to discuss President Trump’s work during his first 100 days. Learn more about Selina’s case: https://adflegal.org/case/soule-v-connecticut-association-schools/

We have written repeatedly about how women’s athletics is in jeopardy.

Female swimmers, powerlifters, cyclists, sprinters, volleyball players, and others have seen their sports radically changed by men who claim to be women.

Fortunately, steps are being taken to protect women’s sports

In 2023, the North American Grappling Association clarified its competition policy, saying biological males must compete against other men, regardless of their gender identity.

Last year year the professional golf league NXXT Golf announced that only biological females would be eligible to participate in the NXXT Women’s Pro Tour.

And the NAIA changed its collegiate sports policy to prevent male athletes from competing in women’s collegiate sports.

Letting men compete in women’s sports is unfair and reverses 50 years of advancements for women. In some cases it can even be dangerous.

In 2021 Arkansas passed Act 461 by Sen. Missy Irvin (R — Mountain View) and Rep. Sonia Barker (R — Smackover) to prevent male athletes from competing against girls in women’s athletics at school. This good law is in full effect, protecting fairness in women’s sports in Arkansas.

We appreciate our lawmakers who work hard to protect fairness in women’s sports both in Arkansas and across the country.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Understanding “Released Time” at Public Schools

Religious Freedom, ,

During the legislative session earlier this year, there was discussion about released time at Arkansas’ public schools.

Legally in America, public schools may set aside released time during the school week for students to voluntarily attend religious classes off-campus. Released time programs have been in operation for over 100 years in the United States.

Released time makes it possible for students to be excused from school so they can attend Bible studies or other religious classes during normal school hours.

In 1952, the U.S. Supreme Court case Zorach v. Clauson solidified released time programs in America after multiple lawsuits and another court case put it in jeopardy. In a 6-3 decision, the Court found that a New York Education Law permitting release time did not violate the First Amendment. As long as these programs are voluntary — with written parental consent — operate off school grounds, and are privately funded, they are constitutional.

Since the Zorach case, thousands of students have participated in released time programs all across the country. There are estimated to be hundreds, if not thousands, of released time programs in operation, serving more than 350,000 students in first grade through high school.

In 2007 the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette wrote about released time programs in Arkansas and elsewhere around the country, noting, “Even the Arkansas American Civil Liberties Union agrees it’s allowable.” Volunteers in Gravette, Arkansas, have taught a Bible to students for over 70 years in multiple ways, including released time. Other released time programs exist in Arkansas, either independently or through organizations like School Ministries or LifeWise that provide curricula to local groups.

While released time is legal under federal court rulings in Arkansas, the state has no law formally acknowledging released time or explaining how public school districts extend released time to students. As a result, many Arkansans don’t know that released time is available during normal school hours.

H.B. 1139 by Rep. Brit McKenzie (R — Rogers) and Sen. Joshua Bryant (R — Rogers) would have fixed that problem.

This good bill would have written released time into state law and clarified how public schools may excuse students for released time during school hours.

Unfortunately, the House Education Committee rejected H.B. 1139 in April after some 40 minutes of public testimony.

Family Council appreciates Rep. McKenzie and Sen. Bryant sponsoring this good bill, and we hope to work with state and local policymakers in the future to promote released time programs and pass a measure writing released time into Arkansas law.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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