Last year, the families of three high school girls in Connecticut filed a lawsuit to stop transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports. Their suit claimed discrimination against women and cited Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs that receive federal funding.
Opponents of Tennessee’s legislation argue the opposite—that the bill prohibiting transgender athletes from competing against the opposite biological sex itself violates Title IX. Critics also argue that, if passed, the bill will result in expensive lawsuits. The vice president of LGBTQ advocacy group, The Trevor Project, said, “Transgender students, like all students, deserve the chance to learn teamwork and to build self-esteem and a sense of belonging with their peers through sports.”
On the day of his inauguration, President Joe Biden signed an executive order entitled, “Executive Order on Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation.” The order stated, “Every person should be treated with respect and dignity and should be able to live without fear, no matter who they are or whom they love. Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports.” While the president’s language stands in opposition to the aforementioned state and federal bills, there remains some confusion as to the full implications of his order. Nevertheless, religious groups, such as the Coalition for Jewish Values, are apprehensive. Franklin Graham has also expressed his concern over the president’s order.
Today is #NationalGirlsAndWomenInSportsDay. Instead of celebrating though, this year there is cause for concern. President Biden has put forth an executive order that would allow biological males who identify as females to participate in women’s sports. https://t.co/UMZFGKt6Oh
— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) February 4, 2021
