Dear John,

Congress will soon vote on shameful bills in the House (H.R. 28) and the Senate (S. 9) that would ban transgender and intersex women and girls of all ages, sports teams, and competition levels from participating in women’s and girls’ school sports. We need to stop this latest attempt to discriminate against trans youth.

Misleadingly named “The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act,” these transphobic bills turn Title IX, a critical civil rights law, on its head by promoting discrimination and targeting an already vulnerable group of youth. The sole purpose of these bills is to attack transgender girls and women, barring them from playing school sports and shutting them out from the benefits that playing school sports offer, like building community, leadership skills, and self-confidence.

Transgender women and girls have been playing school sports for years and have not been unfairly “dominating” competitions. But sports bans like H.R. 28 and S.9, pushed by far-right extremists like Alliance Defending Freedom and Heritage Foundation, actively harm all women and girls by dangerously allowing gender policing of any woman or girl who does not conform to sex-based stereotypes. These bans do nothing to address actual gender inequities in school sports, like inadequate funding, facilities, and equipment for girls’ sports, inequitable scholarship awards for college women athletes, or sexual abuse of student athletes by coaches, doctors, and other authority figures.

We know what happens when we let everyone play. States where transgender athletes can participate in sports have seen increased participation by all girls. But in states that enacted trans-exclusionary policies, girls’ overall participation in high school sports declined.

If passed, H.R. 28 and S. 9. would make the inclusion of transgender girls and women school athletic programs a Title IX violation. We cannot let Congress weaponize Title IX to require this kind of blatant sex discrimination. Tell Congress to reject H.R. 28 and S. 9.

The far-right extremists and individuals behind promoting anti-trans laws like H.R. 28 and S. 9. are the same ones who have fought against women’s rights for decades. We’re not fooled.

Excluding women and girls who are transgender and/or intersex hurts all of us.

Gender justice means creating a better future for all girls and women. Take action now. If these harmful bills become law, it will make way for more sex-based discrimination and further weaken Title IX protections.

Our legacy counts on creating a safer future for all girls and women.

Sincerely,

Shiwali Patel
she/her/hers
Senior Director of Safe & Inclusive Schools
National Women's Law Center