Fairness in Women's Sports – Page 3

Doing Better for Our Daughters: Guest Column

Mar 13, 2024John StonestreetTransgenderFairness in Women's Sports, Transgender

In a recent article published in Newsweek, Kristen Waggoner described how the federal government is working to remove protections for women’s sports, ironically in the name of equity and justice. When Title IX rules that protect female representation in sports are reinterpreted to privilege males who claim a transgender identity, the original purpose of Title IX is turned on its head.

Twenty years ago, or maybe just 10, if anyone were to predict that women and girls would be denied privacy, scholarship money, and the fair chance to compete in sports, the culprits would have been assumed to be the advocates of a Handmaid’s Tale-style, Right-wing patriarchy. But this move is being championed by those on the Left because they are committed to a worldview in which identity is constructed and the freedom to self-express is the highest good.

But the freedom from reality is not freedom at all, certainly not the freedom promised to women and girls.

Women’s Professional Golf League Changes Policy, Clarifies Golfers Must Be Female

Mar 11, 2024Jerry CoxTransgenderFairness in Women's Sports, Transgender

On Friday the professional golf league NXXT Golf announced policy changes saying that only biological females would be eligible to participate in the NXXT Women’s Pro Tour.

The announcement comes a few weeks after golfer Hailey Davidson — a biological male who identifies as female — took first place in the NXXT Women’s Classic in Florida. The tournament is a qualifier for the LPGA Tour.

In a statement on its website, NXXT Golf said on Friday,

NXXT Golf, with a steadfast dedication to competitive fairness and enhancing opportunities for female athletes, today announces a significant update to the eligibility policy for the NXXT Women’s Pro Tour.

Effective immediately, competitors must be a biological female at birth to participate. This decision underscores the organization’s commitment to maintaining the integrity of women’s professional golf and ensuring fair competition.

NXXT GOLF CEO Stuart McKinnon expressed, “As we navigate through the evolving landscape of sports, it is crucial to uphold the competitive integrity that is the cornerstone of women’s sports. Our revised policy is a reflection of our unwavering commitment to celebrating and protecting the achievements and opportunities of female athletes. Protected categories are a fundamental aspect of sports at all levels, and it is essential for our Tour to uphold these categories for biological females, ensuring a level playing field.”

This policy update is the result of comprehensive research, thoughtful deliberation, and extensive consultations with a broad spectrum of stakeholders in the sports community. McKinnon added, “NXXT Golf is honored to lead in promoting and advancing women’s golf, providing a platform that not only highlights the exceptional talent of women golfers worldwide but also ensures the competition remains equitable for all of our players.”

NXXT Golf is the latest sports league to clarify its eligibility policies to preserve women’s athletics.

In recent female cyclists, swimmers, powerlifters, sprinters, and others have seen their sports radically changed by biological males who identify and compete as women.

Letting males compete in women’s sports reverses 50 years of advancements for women and effectively erases women’s and girls’ athletics.

It hampers girls’ abilities to compete for athletic scholarships, and it hurts their professional opportunities as adults. In some sports, it can even be dangerous.

That is part of the reason states like Arkansas, Texas, West Virginia, and Ohio have enacted laws that uphold fairness in women’s sports.

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

Interestingly, public opinion is shifting on this issue, with more Americans saying it’s morally wrong to change genders and that athletes ought to compete according to their biological sex rather than their gender identity.

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

Guest Column: Chromosomes Have Consequences

Jan 23, 2024John StonestreetTransgenderFairness in Women's Sports, Transgender

A recent study highlighted by King’s College London suggests that, wait for it, sex is a greater predictor of athletic performance than gender identity. The study found that in the “nonbinary” category of races, men outperformed women.

The researchers were careful to note that not much research has been done in this area … unless I’d add, you consider the history of sport.

That we need this study reveals much more about our cultural moment than it does about runners. To say that men and women are different is to say something that was universally obvious until just yesterday.

The created differences between men and women aren’t a bug of our humanity but a feature, beautifully leading to differences in many areas of life. Women’s sports should be protected because, if they aren’t, men will continue to steal the place of women, not only on the winner’s podium but in other areas of life too.

Chromosomes, like ideas, have consequences.