BREAKING: Update on Saving Girls' Sports

Over the last few months, you helped pass the first law in the nation
to reserve girls' sports for biological girls. As you may know
from our previous updates, there's an ongoing lawsuit
surrounding that important law. Last night, a federal judge issued an
initial ruling in the lawsuit. Here's what you need to know.

What law is at stake?

Idaho's groundbreaking "Fairness in Women's Sports
Act," championed by Family Policy Alliance of Idaho since its
legislative inception, is designed to ensure that girls' sports
are reserved for biological girls. Without the law, biological males
who identify as female were competing in girls' high school and
college sports-placing female athletes at a disadvantage.

What's happening in the lawsuit?

The ACLU sued the state of Idaho over the law, seeking to allow males
to play in female sports categories. Last night, a federal judge
temporarily halted the law's enforcement - but
that's not the end of the story.

The injunction is only a temporary measure while the lawsuit moves
forward. Going forward, the state won't be alone in defending
this important law: the judge also allowed two female athletes from
Idaho State University to intervene in favor of the law. The women,
represented in court by Alliance Defending Freedom, were forced to
compete against a biologically male athlete at the Big Sky Conference
Indoor Track & Field championships last year. All women in the
event placed behind the biological male.

The law also has the backing of the Trump Administration.

The US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights issued a ruling
earlier this summer that a Connecticut policy allowing boys to play in
girls' sports violates Title IX (the law that ensures girls have
access to equal educational and athletic opportunities with boys) and
could result in loss of federal funding. Similarly, the US Department
of Justice filed a motion in support of Idaho's law.

How is Family Policy Alliance responding?

Even as the lawsuit continues in Idaho, Family Policy Alliance will
continue to stand for fair sports for girls in Idaho and beyond. This
morning, we issued the following statements to the media.

From Autumn Leva, Vice President of Strategy for Family Policy Alliance:

"A young girl should never be placed in the position of losing
out on a championship or scholarship simply because a male was allowed
to compete in the female sports category. Yet that potential outcome
is held in the balance today in Idaho. The eyes of the nation are on
Idaho as a federal judge takes steps to decide whether female athletes
can count on a fair playing field - or whether years of work to
advance female athletic opportunities will be sacrificed on the altar
of political correctness. In a court of law, where justice ought to
guide the judge's decisions, we hope the final outcome will
uphold fairness. But as we await that decision - and whatever
form it ultimately takes - Family Policy Alliance will continue
to fight to Save Girls' Sports wherever we have opportunity. Our
daughters are counting on us."

From Blaine Conzatti, Director of Advocacy for Family Policy Alliance of Idaho:

"We know this law is constitutional, and we remain confident
that ultimately it will be vindicated in court. The Trump
Administration supports this law as essential to preserving the spirit
of Title IX for future generations of girls. We know the Fairness in
Women's Sports Act is on strong legal footing."

What happens next?

While we await further developments in the Idaho lawsuit, Family
Policy Alliance is already looking toward advocating for similar laws
in other states wherever we have opportunity to do so. This summer, we
launched a nationwide "Save Girls' Sports" campaign to build awareness
around the issue of males competing in female sports. As part of that,
thousands of you have signed our petition to state lawmakers asking
for laws similar to Idaho's.
[link removed]

And it's no wonder that so many of you signed. Recent polling
shows that a majority of Americans - including majorities of
Republicans, Democrats, and independents - agree that female
athletes should not be forced to compete against biological men.

[link removed]

Americans know that female athletes deserve a fair playing field in
sports. There is nothing discriminatory about laws that protect equal
opportunities for female athletes - and we firmly believe that
protecting that equal opportunity is an important step for state
legislators to consider in the time to come.

Family Policy Alliance continues to fight for these laws in Idaho and
elsewhere!

Autumn Leva

Blaine Conzatti

 

 



8675 Explorer Drive, Suite 112
Colorado Springs, CO 80920
(866) 655-4545

 

Click here to unsubscribe or change your email preferences
[link removed]