Dear John,

Today, I am testifying in front of Congress at a hearing of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on DOGE, chaired by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. While the hearing is supposed to be about transgender athletes, its true purpose is to attack and dehumanize transgender people.

Despite that, I am going to this hearing because it’s critical that organizations like the National Women’s Law Center continue to show up and vigorously defend the rights of trans people —in sports, at school, at work, and in every part of our society. We will not let any gender discrimination go unchallenged, especially when that discrimination is transphobia under the false pretense of “protecting women.”

This hearing is also an attempt to distract us from what’s really happening in Congress right now, where leaders are drafting a harmful budget bill that would cut billions of dollars from programs that actually support women and kids, including SNAP, child care assistance, Medicaid, and help affording higher education.

In the hearing room, I plan on talking about these programs, and I will let the subcommittee know that if they actually want to talk about the obstacles women and girls face while competing in sports—like fewer opportunities to play, fewer financial resources than men’s programs, worse facilities, and endemic sexual abuse—the National Women’s Law Center is here for that too.

Bottom line: I’m testifying because I care about the rights of ALL women and girls, including athletes. And I know that bullying trans kids and creating a panic about the existence of trans people won’t make us safer or freer. It won’t solve any of the problems of inequity in sports. And by the way, it won’t fix any of the other problems we have in this country either.
Instead, anti-trans sports bans actually create problems for all women.

The bans deny trans kids the chance to find teammates who will support them. The bans lead to harassing women for not being feminine enough—especially women who are Black and brown. And bans have even led to school officials secretly and invasively investigating girls’ gender.
These have been a hard few months, with attacks on all of us coming from every direction. But I wanted you all to know that at NWLC—even when it’s difficult, even in the most hostile of rooms—we will show up ready to fight back against all forms of discrimination and injustice .

I’m able to go into this hearing today knowing that NWLC supporters like you have my back and will going forward. Thank you for being a partner in the fight for justice for all.

In solidarity,

Fatima Goss Graves
she/her/hers
President and CEO
National Women's Law Center
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