Republican Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn slammed the NCAA on Thursday for failing to address the concerns of female swimmers who had to race a biological man during the NCAA Women’s Swimming Championship.
“Allowing biological men to compete against biological women discourages future generations of female athletes,” Blackburn said in a statement to The Daily Wire. “The Left argues they’re the party that champions women’s rights, but they refuse to address legitimate concerns and protect women in sports.”
“It’s beyond hypocritical, and it sends a message to young girls that their voices and successes do not matter,” the senator added. “We owe it to our daughters to give them a fair opportunity at competing and winning.”
The Tennessee senator’s comments follow a Daily Wire report exposing the NCAA’s silence as fathers, swimmers, and members of the public protest the inclusion of Lia Thomas, a biologically male athlete, in female races.
The NCAA has not responded to many requests for comment from The Daily Wire, despite highly publicized calls for action from Virginia Tech swimmer Reka Gyorgy and University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines — both of whom competed against Thomas and suffered for it.
Thomas won first place in the 500-yard freestyle, tied for fifth place in the 200-yard freestyle, and placed eighth in the 100-yard freestyle during the championships last weekend in Atlanta, Georgia.
Gyorgy placed 17th in the 500 freestyle, meaning that she did not make it back to the finals and was a first alternate. Had Thomas, a biological male, not participated, Gyorgy would have made it to the finals.
“I’m writing this letter right now in hopes that the NCAA will open their eyes and change these rules in the future,” she wrote in a letter to the NCAA that she released Sunday. “It doesn’t promote our sport in a good way and I think it is disrespectful against the biologically female swimmers who are competing in the NCAA.”
Gaines competed in the women’s 200 freestyle and tied for fifth place with Thomas. In an interview with The Daily Wire, she revealed that she was made to hold the sixth place trophy during award ceremony pictures, while Thomas was given the fifth place trophy.
The swimmer believes that the NCAA was “trying to save face” in elevating Thomas in this situation, telling The Daily Wire that the experience was “disheartening” and that she “left the pool with no trophy.”
“Who are we trying to protect here,” she questioned, “and who are we trying to fight for here?”
Blackburn also brought up Thomas as the Senate Judiciary Committee questioned President Joe Biden’s nominee to the Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson.
“Just last week an entire generation of young girls watched as our taxpayer-funded institutions permitted a biological man to compete and beat a biological woman in the NCAA swimming championships,” Blackburn said to Jackson, asking, “What message do you think this sends to girls who aspire to compete and win in sports at the highest levels?”
“Senator, I’m not sure what message that sends,” Jackson said.
Blackburn, the only female Republican to serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee, also pressed Jackson to define the word “woman.”
“Can you provide a definition for the word ‘woman’?” Blackburn asked.
“Can I provide a definition?” Jackson repeated.
“Yeah,” Blackburn said, to which Jackson replied, “I can’t.”
“You can’t?” Blackburn asked.
“Not — in this context, I’m not a biologist,” Jackson laughed.
“So you believe the meaning of the word ‘woman’ is so unclear and controversial that you can’t give me a definition?” Blackburn asked.
“Senator, in my work as a judge, what I do is I address disputes,” Jackson answered. “If there is a dispute about a definition, people make arguments and I look at the law and I decide, so — I’m not —”
“The fact that you can’t give me a straight answer about something as fundamental as what a woman is underscores the dangers of the kind of progressive education that we are hearing about,” Blackburn told the judge.