On Monday, Republican Governor Brad Little of Idaho signed the Fairness for Women in Sports Act, which protects girls sports as single-sex, barring biologically male transgender girls from competing against biological girls.
“The sports ban applies to all sports teams sponsored by public schools, colleges and universities,” NBC News reported. “A girls’ or women’s team will not be open to transgender students who identify as female.”
“Girls deserve to compete on a level playing field. Allowing males to compete in girls’ sports destroys fair competition and women’s athletic opportunities,” Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) Senior Vice President of U.S. Legal Division Kristen Waggoner said in a statement sent to The Daily Wire.
ADF is representing high school female athletes in a federal lawsuit seeking to preserve single-sex girls sports.
“We commend Gov. Little for signing the Fairness for Women in Sports Act into law so that those opportunities will be protected in Idaho,” Waggoner continued. “When the law ignores biological differences, women and girls bear the brunt of the harm.”
“In Connecticut, for example, two males dominated girls’ track after they began competing as females, capturing dozens of championships and shattering long-standing female track records,” the attorney outlined. “Comparably fit and trained males will always have physical advantages over females—that’s the reason we have girls’ sports.”
“When we ignore biological reality, female athletes lose medals, podium spots, public recognition, and opportunities to compete,” Waggoner added, thanking the bill’s Republican co-sponsors Rep. Barbara Ehardt and Sen. Mary Souza.
ADF-represented high schooler Chelsea Mitchell, one of the athletes challenging Connecticut’s transgender policy, applauded the move by Gov. Little.
“I am so happy that female athletes in Idaho will not have to face an unfair playing field as I have in Connecticut,” Mitchell said in a statement sent to The Daily Wire.
“I have lost four state championships because my state’s policy ignores the physical advantages males have over females in sports and allows males to compete in the girls’ category,” the athlete outlined. “Four times I was the fastest female in my race, but I didn’t get the gold medal or the state title; the males in my race took that honor. I have watched this happen over and over again in my sport in Connecticut, as so many girls have been impacted.”
Mitchell added, “It isn’t fair, and it isn’t right. We need separate sports categories based on biological sex in order to fairly compete. Idaho has now set the example for other states to follow.”
The ACLU has already jumped in to condemn Gov. Little and promise a lawsuit.
Leaders from the business, faith, medical, education and athletics communities will not forget this decision or what it says about the governor’s priorities during a global pandemic,” the organization said in a statement. “The ACLU will see the governor in court. We encourage all Idahoans to email, call, and tweet Gov. Little to express outrage and disappointment at wasting precious taxpayer resources on blatantly anti-transgender bill.