After 11 years as a sports columnist at The Seattle Times, Matt Calkins has resigned from the paper, saying editors refused to publish a column arguing that opposing biological males competing in women’s sports does not make someone “transphobic.”
The columnist <a href="https://x.com/Matt_Calkins/status/2090483833057751064">announced</a> his resignation Thursday, saying the decision was entirely his own but came after the newspaper declined to run his piece on the debate over biological males competing in women’s sports.
“The impetus was the Times declining to run a column I wrote from the perspective of two female student athletes who were opposed to competing against biological males,” Calkins wrote. “It was one of several pieces of mine that had been spiked, and I no longer felt like I could properly do my job as a columnist.”
The decision came after Calkins interviewed 16-year-old Ahnaleigh Wilson, a student-athlete who had lost to a biological male in a track race and attended a matchup between the Indiana Fever and the  Seattle Storm carrying a sign reading, “Thank You, Sophie For Speaking Up For Girls!” Wilson’s experience at that game became the catalyst for Calkins’ unpublished column.
During the game, Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wnba-co-owner-accused-of-cursing-out-teen-girls-over-xx-xy-shirts">confronted</a> Wilson and another teenage girl who were supporting Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who has publicly opposed biological males competing in women’s sports. 
Keaton allegedly called the girls “f***ing insane” and told Wilson, “I hope Jesus can forgive you,” leaving the teenager in tears. The WNBA subsequently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wnba-co-owners-tirade-at-sophie-cunningham-fans-ends-in-fallout">suspended</a> Keaton from attending five home games and fined her over the incident.
For Calkins, the episode raised a question he believed deserved to be addressed by a sports columnist: Why should a teenage girl who believes women’s sports should remain female-only automatically be treated as hateful or bigoted?
Wilson told Calkins that she did not hate transgender people and simply believed girls should have their own sports. Another Washington student-athlete, Frances Staudt, told him she had faced verbal abuse at school after refusing to play against a biological male.
Calkins ultimately published the rejected column on his Substack under the title, “<a href="https://substack.com/home/post/p-211906384">Agreeing with Sophie Cunningham’s stance doesn’t make you transphobic.</a>”
“Some people saw bigotry. I saw bravery,” Calkins wrote of Wilson. “I saw a teenage girl speaking up on an issue that so many adults shy away from.”
The column argued that the separation of male and female sports exists precisely because of biological differences in physical performance, and that supporting that separation does not necessarily amount to hostility toward transgender people. But the Seattle Times declined to publish it.
Calkins <a href="https://substack.com/home/post/p-212028578">said</a> he initially submitted the column to his editor on July 31 and was told that editors were reviewing it. Several days later, he said, he was informed that the piece would not run because he had failed to notify his editor in advance that he was working on it.
“I didn’t buy this reasoning,” Calkins wrote. “If that were the case, the piece would have been killed on the spot, not passed through the hands of multiple editors over several days.” 
He resigned immediately afterward.
The decision was not, according to Calkins, simply about one column. He said the Times had previously spiked columns questioning whether the U.S. women’s soccer team was actually the victim of discrimination in its equal-pay lawsuit, criticizing cancel culture in sports, and defending a black high school basketball coach who urged Americans not to stereotype police following George Floyd’s death.
Calkins said the common thread was that the pieces challenged narratives that he believed a columnist should be willing to question.
 “I’ve always thought that it was a columnist’s duty to generate discussion on the most hot-button issues,” he wrote. “To avoid such topics was to leave the reader shortchanged.”
“I guess in the end, I just didn’t feel like I could do my job properly anymore,” he wrote.
Calkins acknowledged that leaving a long-established newspaper job without another position lined up was frightening. He said he has no idea what his career will look like in the coming years and joked that he could even end up working as a dental assistant.
But he said the uncertainty was preferable to self-censorship.
“To be honest, I’m scared sh—tless right now,” Calkins wrote. “But that fear beats the indignity of being muzzled.”

Indiana Fever v Seattle Storm

Sports Columnist Breaks Up With Paper Over Biological Reality

Censorship

Free Speech

Freedom of the Press

Indiana Fever

Media

Media Bias

Seattle

Seattle Storm

Sophie Cunningham

Transgender

Transgender Athletes

Women's Basketball

Women's sports

xx-xy athletics

A nationally growing ministry for female athletes is launching new chapters across the country this fall, countering attacks on gender integrity with formative, feminine, Christian encounters.
<a href="https://fierceathlete.org/why-fierce-2">FIERCE Athlete</a> reaches women and girls in sports through clinics, retreats, and coaching that strive for whole-person formation. The organization has had impressive growth since 2019, with reach in more than 20 states, impacting 24,000 people, and 5,200 female athletes. Several schools are launching or continuing in-house chapters this fall and engaging in mentorship programs to raise up student leaders.
Programs typically run full-day or after school in lieu of practice and are commonly attended by coaches. This year’s expansion of chapters marks significant progress in the ministry.
A “toxic world”
Female athletics has been targeted by the transgender industry with particular malice, played out on the world stage at the <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2024/08/08/olympics-boxing-fiasco-is-more-proof-men-dont-belong-in-womens-sports/">2024 Olympics</a>, and through recent<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/video/6403269732112"> threats </a>of discriminatory action by transgender men demanding entrance into professional women’s leagues. <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11569523/">Mental health</a> challenges plague elite female athletes at higher rates than males. <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11370166/">Violence</a> is becoming more <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2026/08/10/the-nba-is-enabling-the-wnbas-anti-white-violence/">flagrant</a>.
A former Division I soccer player and competitive rower, Samantha Kelley designed FIERCE to combat the obstacles she witnessed in women’s sports years before abuses of biological integrity became standard. Elite athletes are extremely driven, exhibiting extraordinary mental and physical capacities, and achieving insurmountable gains. They train hard, set best records, and can suffer identity loss when off the field or court.
Sidelined by a 13-month injury recovery as a freshman at the University of Connecticut, Kelley became depressed. For years she had lived and breathed success as a multi-sport high school state champion living in a legacy household. Then an encounter with Christ reshaped her understanding of authentic self and dignity as a woman.
“There’s a lot of confusion regarding identity and femininity,” Kelley said. “[FIERCE] is teaching truth because truth sets free. Your identity is not in your appearance, your body weight, or performance, but in the beauty of being designed as a woman.”
After five years as a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDd9X87294">FOCUS missionary</a> and a thorough study of John Paul II’s landmark speaking series, <a href="https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/theology-of-the-body-21271">Theology of the Body</a>, Kelley was inspired to confront the “toxic world” of female athletics in a way that male-dominated leadership had failed. Developing female athletes through Christ-centered training clinics and retreats became her mission field.
Quenching a thirst
FIERCE offers an intimacy with a God who calls each by name, quenching what Kelley calls a “thirst” amongst female athletes, who too often define themselves within the confines of their sport. Breaking down barriers allows for more difficult discussions around struggles with body dysmorphia and same-sex attraction, and healing.
Kelley’s ministry is crucial, working from the ground up. In nearly half of the states, women are not protected within their sports, adding excessive external pressure where internal pressure is already high.
New York and California maintain state policy and education promoting men in women’s sports. They are two of the states where FIERCE chapters are developing a permanent presence. A New York school will continue its FIERCE chapter this school year; chapters in California, Ohio, and Tennessee are just launching.
Uniquely woman, uniquely FIERCE
The Supreme Court’s <a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/06/court-rules-that-states-can-exclude-transgender-athletes-from-girls-and-womens-sports-teams/">June rulings</a> on states’ rights to exclude men from women’s sports were a crucial defining step, but nearly half the states still promote biological non-realities. As Kelley says, the victory still leaves a lot of work to be done, and “there are going to have to be a lot more Supreme Court cases.”
Kelley is hopeful a cultural shift reclaiming the protection of children is underway.
In a culture that has degraded women to nothing more than mislabeled men, FIERCE offers something desperately needed: a sisterhood celebrating the unique strength and beauty of women as created with a definitive purpose, and the ability to excel in God-given, female bodies.
***
Ashley Bateman is a policy writer for The Heartland Institute. Her work has been featured in The Washington Times, The Daily Caller, The New York Post, The American Thinker, the Ascension Press blog, and numerous other publications. She previously worked as an adjunct scholar for The Lexington Institute and as editor, writer, and photographer for The Warner Weekly, a publication for the American military community in Bamberg, Germany. She and her brilliant engineer/scientist husband homeschool their six children.

Portrait of female runner getting ready

FIERCE Female Athletes Are Flipping The Script On Transgender Athletes And Women’s Sports

DW Opinion

Title IX

An Arizona doctor running for Congress on a platform championing “universal healthcare” voted against a law to protect kids from transgender surgeries. 
Amish Shah, a former emergency room doctor, consistently voted against proposals aimed at shielding kids from the impacts of transgender ideology during his time as a lawmaker in the state house. Shah, who emphasizes his medical credentials on the campaign trail, has <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/09/16/us-news/arizona-democrat-backed-universal-single-payer-health-care-in-resurfaced-clip/">called</a> for a single-payer, fully government-funded healthcare system. 
While in the state House, Shah <a href="https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview?SessionID=130">voted against</a> a 2022 bill banning doctors from performing transgender surgeries on kids. These surgeries <a href="https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/55leg/2R/laws/0104.pdf">included</a> removing the breasts of girls who identify as boys and surgeries crafting fake genitals for gender-confused children. Despite opposition from Democrats, Governor Doug Ducey signed the measure into law in March 2022. 
Shah twice voted against bills to keep males out of female sports, including a 2022 measure that became law. Additionally, he did not support a proposal to ensure that males cannot use female bathrooms at schools. 
The scrutiny on Shah’s pro-trans stance comes as Democrats across the country have struggled after Republicans successfully campaigned on the issue during the 2024 presidential election. Some Democrats have received <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trans-activists-tell-dem-candidate-shut-up-and-listen-to-his-face?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trans+Activists+Tell+Dem+Candidate+%E2%80%98Shut+Up+And+Listen%E2%80%99+To+His+Face">verbal lashings</a> from leftist constituents for moderating on the issue, and others have avoided the issue altogether. 
At the same time as Shah is on the ballot, Arizona voters will have the opportunity to approve a <a href="https://www.azleg.gov/alispdfs/council/2026BallotMeasures/HCR2003%20-%2057th%202nd.pdf">ballot measure</a> that would strengthen current law to keep males off female sports teams and ensure privacy for females in locker rooms and restrooms. 
Shah’s Republican opponent in the race is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/former-nfl-kicker-backed-by-trump-wins-gop-primary">Jay Feely</a>, a former kicker for the Arizona Cardinals whose platform includes keeping men out of women’s sports. Both men are running to replace outgoing Republican Rep. David Schweikert, who mounted an unsuccessful run for governor. Schweikert won the district, which covers large swaths of Maricopa County, by four points in 2024, and Democrats are targeting it as one of the seats they would like to flip.
Shah’s voting record on transgender issues has drawn criticism from Republicans. 
&#8220;Socialist Amish Shah showed off his far-Left beliefs as a state legislator,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Ben Petersen told The Daily Wire. “Socialist Shah proved he&#8217;s too extreme for Arizona and voters will reject his radical, out of touch agenda.”
During his time in the legislature, Shah <a href="https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/56leg/2R/bills/HB2736P.pdf">introduced</a> a proposal to ban so-called “conversion therapy” and to make gender identity and sexual preference protected classes. Conversion therapy bans broadly prohibit counselors from pushing gender-confused kids to feel comfortable in their bodies. 
Shortly after introducing the measure, Shah <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f21-C7kS1k">said</a> that he hoped he could “continue to be a great advocate for our state, our district, and the LGBT community.”
Shah’s platform does not mention how he would vote on transgender issues, but it does highlight his support for abortion. It boasts of his 100% “pro-choice voting record” and calls for Congress to pass a law guaranteeing the right to end the life of an unborn child. 
The Arizona Democrat previously criticized America’s health care system for being “based on the free market,” saying “there’s a lot of things that are wrong with that.”
“No other industrialized country or first-world country offers health care through a free market because it’s not really a system,” he <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/09/16/us-news/arizona-democrat-backed-universal-single-payer-health-care-in-resurfaced-clip/">said</a> in May 2019 at an event with the Phoenix Democratic Socialists of America and the Progressive Democrats of America. To “take the problem and fix it, we need universal, single-payer Medicare for All throughout this country,&#8221; he added.
His campaign website <a href="https://www.amishforarizona.com/issues">describes</a> him as a &#8220;proven champion for universal healthcare.&#8221;

US-VOTE-POLITICS-HARRIS

Key House Race Features Pro-Trans Doctor Pushing ‘Universal Healthcare’

2026 Midterms

Arizona

Health Care

House of Representatives

LGBT

transgender surgery

Sunday night at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, with two minutes left in overtime and the Indiana Fever locked in a nail-biter against the Atlanta Dream, a mother and her daughter were ordered to cover up.
Kasey Thomason and her daughter Annie came to support Sophie Cunningham, the Fever guard who recently said it’s common sense for girls’ sports to be for girls only. The mom-daughter pair sat close to the court to cheer for the Indiana Fever, with Kasey wearing a red, white, and blue XX-XY Athletics logo tee. Everything was fine until those final minutes of the game when a woman two rows ahead wearing a “Protect Trans Kids” shirt pointed at them, while speaking to security.
Then, the security guard pointed at Kasey and her daughter.
In a matter of minutes, they went from fans enjoying the game to problems that had to be dealt with.
Kasey and Annie were offered free “Wellness Night” tees sponsored by Emory Healthcare and asked to cover their shirts, or they would be escorted out.
They put the stadium shirts on. They wanted to see the end of the game. As soon as the official stadium tees went on, in an act of pure snitchy vindictiveness, the woman who had found their original tees offensive mouthed, “I like your shirt” in their direction.
The Fever won that night, but free expression lost.
This is not an isolated incident. It is a pattern.
It started in Seattle on July 28. Sixteen-year-old Ahnaleigh Wilson and a friend sat courtside wearing XX-XY tees and holding a simple sign thanking Sophie for speaking up for girls. Celeste Keaton, co-owner of the Seattle Storm, confronted the girls, called them “effing insane,” and left them in tears. The league later suspended Keaton for five games.
Days later in Minneapolis, Riley Gaines and I sat courtside in the same XX-XY tees from the company that I founded and lead. Riley held a small sign: “Sophie, thank you — a girl mom.” At halftime, arena security told Riley to put the sign down because, she was told, it had a player’s name on it. Meanwhile, those supporting different players and wearing shirts that read “Trans Kids Belong&#8221;—including one worn by Minneapolis Lynx Coach Cheryl Reeve—faced no such restriction.
We stayed and made the sign less visible. After the incident, people in our row bought us drinks as a show of support for our work to protect girls’ sports.
The WNBA, the team leadership, the stadium brass – they want everyone to believe that the message at the games is anti-Sophie, pro-trans and that anyone who supports Cunningham is just a bigot. But in fact, the pro-woman, protect-women’s-sports message is everywhere on the ground at these games, no matter how hard the league tries to suppress it.
Atlanta was next. A mother and daughter supporting the same basic principle — women’s sports and spaces are for women — were forced to cover clothing that simply acknowledges biological reality. Interestingly, the gifted shirts came from stadium sponsor Emory Healthcare, which operates a transgender clinic. Though Georgia law currently restricts pharmaceutical and surgical interventions for minors, the institutional alignment is clear enough.
Sophie Cunningham did not set out to become a cultural flashpoint. In July, she told ESPN that she wants to protect young girls and keep their sports and locker rooms girls-only. She wasn’t making a big political pronouncement; she simply answered a question honestly. She said what she said and moved on, but notably, has not walked it back one inch, despite pressure to do so.
The response from the institutional Left has been predictable.
Celebrations in support of Cunningham have drawn moms and daughters who simply want sex-based categories and biological reality preserved. We bring balloons and cookies. Counter-protesters are aggressive and mean-spirited. They bring megaphones to try to drown us out, while calling us the worst names you can imagine.
League and arena officials treat expressions of support for fairness as the problem while treating the erasure of those categories as settled morality. Messages and t-shirts that affirm biological sex are policed by stadium security. Messages that deny it are celebrated, put on the jumbotron, and featured in the TV broadcast.
But the more they try to suppress the message, the faster it spreads. Ordinary people are no longer afraid to speak up for common sense rules. Fans who never thought of themselves as activists show up to take a stand for fair competition.
But the WNBA seems intent on manufacturing a consensus that does not exist. They have an agenda, and it isn’t women’s basketball.
The WNBA, the arenas, the broadcasters, and the corporate sponsors can keep trying to manage the narrative. They can enforce dress codes selectively and hope the controversy fades.
But it will not. Truth has a way of asserting itself. Biological reality does not care about branding partnerships or “Wellness Night.”
And the censors are never the good guys.
Our movement is not driven by hate. It is driven by the obvious: males and females are different, those differences matter in sports and private spaces, and girls deserve categories that protect their opportunities, safety, and achievements. The crazy part is that it was ever controversial to say so.
Kasey and Annie put on their stadium shirts to stay and watch the end of a close game. Then they spoke out, refusing to stay silent no matter how intense the coercion. Game on.
Women’s sports belong to women. The more they pretend otherwise, the clearer the stakes and who the good guys are. The powers that be cannot suppress this forever.
***
Jennifer Sey is the CEO of XX-XY Athletics. She is an author, filmmaker, and retired national champion gymnast.

New York Liberty v Indiana Fever

Jennifer Sey: Supporting Sophie Cunningham Is A Court-Side Crime

WNBA

Stephanie Brown pulled out her phone to record her 15-year-old daughter’s wrestling match just like she had done hundreds of times before. Born and raised in Washington state, Kallie Keeler had been wrestling since she was four years old, following in the footsteps of her three older brothers, and had gotten quite good at the sport by the beginning of her sophomore season, earning the number two spot on her high school team.
Only this match was different. Stephanie recognized immediately that something was wrong with her daughter. She saw visible distress on Kallie’s face as her opponent pinned her down, heard Kallie shout out in pain, and then watched as she got up from the mat, crying. None of this was normal.
Unbeknownst to Stephanie or her daughter, Kallie had been matched with a male wrestler at the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association-sponsored girls’ wrestling tournament in December 2025. While pinning Kallie to the mat, the male wrestler sexually assaulted her.
Leaving the mat, Kallie was in shock. Another team’s coach approached her and informed her that her opponent was male. Despite observing how distraught Kallie was, her own coaches walked away. They did nothing to help her.
Kallie told her mom about the egregious assault, and they both felt betrayed by what happened and by the fact that Kallie had been forced to wrestle a male opponent without their knowledge or consent. The WIAA and school officials knew Kallie’s opponent was male, hid that critical piece of information, and matched the athlete against Kallie anyway. Had Kallie known her opponent was male, she would not have taken the mat — and this sexual assault would not have happened.
Stephanie quickly reported the sexual assault in writing, with video evidence, to the coaches and school staff. But they did nothing. Despite Washington state’s mandatory 48-hour reporting law, officials ignored the incident until it became a national news story weeks later. Even now, they refuse to take it seriously — to deal with the assault, to reserve girls’ sports for girls, or even to give parents the necessary notice so they can keep their daughters safe. In late July, prosecutors finally decided to charge Kallie’s principal and athletic director with a gross misdemeanor for not reporting the incident in a timely manner, but beyond the Trump administration&#8217;s pending federal Title IX investigation, no official has been held accountable for what happened to Kallie on the mat.
That is why Kallie and Stephanie had no choice but to sue state officials. Alliance Defending Freedom, where I serve as senior counsel, filed <a href="https://adflegal.org/press-release/high-school-female-athlete-sues-after-unknowingly-wrestling-male-who-sexually-assaulted-her-during-match/?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped">a lawsuit</a> on their behalf to seek justice for a young girl who simply loves wrestling and ended up being sexually assaulted because of political cowardice. The court scheduled the first hearing for August 18.
Washington state officials insist on pushing gender ideology at all costs — even at the expense of girls’ safety and privacy. The school district’s written policy prohibits notifying parents or anyone else when their daughters will be matched against male athletes. Furthermore, district officials told Stephanie and Kallie that they won’t change their policy. If Kallie returns to wrestling, she can be matched against a male athlete again without notice and over her objection.
Officials refused to protect this young girl by informing her ahead of time that she’d be wrestling a boy, and then, after she was sexually assaulted, they failed to defend her by keeping silent about the assault. They also refuse to protect her and other girls in the future.
It is appalling that, upon hearing Kallie’s story, some, including elected officials in the state, brushed off the sexual assault as a known risk of wrestling, suggesting this is something she consented to when she signed up to participate in a contact sport — as though a 15-year-old girl can consent to sexual assault — digital penetration — just for participating in a high school sport.
Washington state failed this family, but it isn’t too late to protect other girls. State officials must change their policies and prioritize girls’ safety in sports. No girl should have to unknowingly wrestle a boy. And no mother should have to watch her daughter compete and not be able to protect her because she doesn’t know her daughter is wrestling a boy.
At a bare minimum, parents must be notified before their daughters are matched against male opponents. Every parent has the right to make informed decisions about their children’s safety.
Kallie’s story is proof of the grave harm caused by lying about biology. This must end — otherwise, girls will continue getting hurt and violated. We are urging the court to require state officials to change their policy to ensure that girls’ privacy and safety are protected when they compete in the sports they love.
***
Kate Anderson is senior counsel with <a href="http://www.adflegal.org/?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped">Alliance Defending Freedom</a> (<a href="https://x.com/ADFLegal">@ADFLegal</a>) and leads its Center for Parental Rights.

keeler7-scaled

The Price of Political Cowardice Is A Girl’s Sexual Assault

The WNBA held a meeting Wednesday to discuss the all-important question, &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/what-is-a-woman">What is a woman?</a>&#8221; as it faces controversy over whether men should be allowed in the league. 
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told teams in a memo that a committee consisting of team presidents and general managers would speak on the issue of men in women&#8217;s sports during the meeting, according to ESPN.
The result of the meeting was underwhelming as WNBA leaders came to no conclusion on transgender athletes competing in the league. Instead, they pushed the major decision even further down the road and urged people to stop speaking in “bad-faith efforts” on the subject. 
“Today’s meeting covered a wide range of topics, including ongoing discussions on transgender athletes and the continued hate and vitriol directed at players online. We will continue to engage all league stakeholders in the coming weeks and months,” a WNBA spokesman said in a statement obtained by The Daily Wire. “We will approach these important conversations thoughtfully and in alignment with the values of our league. There are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA, and we strongly denounce the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others.”
Neither Engelbert nor the WNBA higher-ups could come to a conclusion on what should have been a simple yes-or-no vote.
The debate on transgender athletes in sports escalated after Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham took a stance on the issue and said she wanted to “protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.” Cunningham&#8217;s comments led to some WNBA players and coaches criticizing the guard and supporting men in women&#8217;s sports.
Supporters of Cunningham were even scolded courtside when Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sophie-cunningham-rips-wnba-team-co-owner-for-harassing-teens-girls-with-xx-xy-shirts">yelled at the teenagers</a> for wearing shirts advocating for the protection of women&#8217;s sports.
The issue has also prompted former NBA pros <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/former-nba-player-declares-for-wnba-draft?row=0&amp;elementPosition=12&amp;rowType=Web+Search">Enes Kanter Freedom</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/another-former-nba-player-says-hes-entering-wnba-draft-threatens-discrimination-suit?row=0&amp;elementPosition=11&amp;rowType=Web+Search">Royce White</a> to declare for the next WNBA draft, claiming they identify as transgender and want to be accepted.
It remains unclear whether the WNBA would allow Kanter Freedom and White to participate in 2027 under current league guidelines if they are drafted. While the league&#8217;s collective bargaining agreement states that &#8220;only players who are women are eligible to play,&#8221; there is controversy over whether the WNBA would recognize trans-identifying men as women.

Phoenix Mercury V Connecticut Sun

WNBA Finishes Meeting On Transgender Athletes, Decides Nothing

Basketball

Enes Freedom

Royce White

Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom declared himself a prospect for the 2027 WNBA Draft on Friday, challenging the league to explain how its current eligibility rules would rule him out.
“After careful consideration and reviewing the current eligibility guidelines, I’m officially declaring myself a @WNBA prospect,” Freedom said.
“If simply declaring who you are is all that’s required, then I meet every single requirement necessary to compete in the WNBA.”
Freedom said his team had reviewed the league’s eligibility criteria and policies surrounding what he described as “self-identification and inclusion,” arguing that nothing in those rules prevents him from declaring himself eligible for the 2027 draft. 
“Based on the current guidelines, I can and am officially declaring my eligibility for the upcoming WNBA draft in April 2027,” he added.
The WNBA&#8217;s publicly available draft eligibility rules do not state that a player can become eligible simply by self-identifying as a woman. The league does not appear to have a publicly stated policy that explicitly bars transgender-identifying men from competing in the WNBA.
According to OutKick/Fox News Digital, the WNBA&#8217;s newly signed collective bargaining agreement <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/wnba-silent-whether-french-transgender-star-dominating-womens-league-eligible-play">states</a>: &#8220;Only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.&#8221; The outlet reported that the 409-page agreement &#8220;never defines &#8216;woman&#8217; or &#8216;women.&#8217; The terms &#8216;transgender&#8217; and &#8216;gender identity&#8217; don&#8217;t appear anywhere in the document.&#8221;
Freedom sought to head off criticism that the move was intended to mock transgender-identifying people, saying he was instead asking the WNBA to apply its rules consistently. 
“I know my presence on the court will stir up strong opinions,” Freedom said. “I am definitely not here to mock, make fun of, or disrespect any community or personal choices.”
“I’m simply asking that the current rules be applied equally to everyone — the rules that represent the very values many WNBA players and coaches have publicly advocated for.”
The stunt comes amid a growing controversy surrounding transgender-identifying athletes participating in women’s sports and the WNBA in particular. 
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has publicly argued that women’s sports should remain protected for female athletes. Her comments drew criticism from leftists and sparked a broader debate over where WNBA players and the league itself stand on transgender inclusion.
Some WNBA players and coaches have expressed support for transgender-identifying athletes competing in women’s sports. Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams, for example, has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/another-wnba-star-enters-the-men-in-womens-sports-debate">said</a> she would welcome a transgender-identifying athlete on her team or as an opponent.
Freedom is now challenging the league to apply that philosophy to his own declared eligibility. 
“My team and I are prepared to ensure these guidelines are applied equally, consistently, and without exception,” Freedom said. “I look forward to the #WNBA honoring its stated principles.”
“See you at training camp.”
Freedom, 34, was selected third overall by the Utah Jazz in the 2011 NBA Draft and spent more than a decade playing in the NBA. He became increasingly outspoken on political and international issues during his career, particularly over the Chinese Communist Party and the NBA’s relationship with China, and has pursued political activism since leaving the league.
Freedom is 6-foot-10 and had a listed playing weight of 250 pounds during his NBA career, which would make him the heaviest player in the WNBA and among its tallest.
The stunt bears an obvious resemblance to &#8220;Lady Ballers,&#8221; the DailyWire+ comedy in which a group of men competes in women’s sports after discovering how far self-identification can take them under left-wing sporting policies.
The WNBA did not immediately respond to The Daily Wire&#8217;s request for clarification on its draft eligibility rules.

Washington Wizards v Boston Celtics

Former NBA Player Declares For WNBA Draft

female sports

Sports

trans

transgender athlete

Transgenders

Women Sports

Golden State Valkyries star Gabby Williams became the first active WNBA player to declare she’d gladly share a locker room with biological men identifying as women.
Williams called trans inclusion &#8220;our new battle&#8221; while claiming rights are being &#8220;stripped away&#8221; from transgender individuals.
“I think it&#8217;s trans rights that now is our new battle,” Williams stated. “That&#8217;s what I think I was saying, that the battles have changed. Our intentions have been the same, but now the environment has changed. We see trans people&#8217;s rights being stripped away from them. There&#8217;s a lot of discourse around trans athletes and what they can compete in. I would welcome a trans athlete on my team or against my team anytime. I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s a problem in the world, it&#8217;s just another way to kind of attack trans people.”
Williams singled out former “non-binary” WNBA player Layshia Clarendon for praise.
&#8220;You know, we&#8217;ve seen players like Layshia Clarendon, who stepped into that forefront and have been brave enough and courageous enough to kind of step up. So I guess that&#8217;s the next battle that we have to fight as athletes.”
Williams&#8217; radical invite comes on the heels of a league-wide rift sparked by Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who stood up for protecting women in sports. Cunningham ignited the debate last month by bluntly stating she wants to &#8220;protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn&#8217;t have to go against biological men,&#8221; before shutting down online mobs with a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sophie-cunningham-triples-down-on-haters-with-ice-cold-instagram-post%5d">defiant</a>, &#8220;I said what I said.&#8221;
The feud reached a boiling point on the court when Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve strutted out in a &#8220;Trans Kids Belong&#8221; t-shirt, earning a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/espn-praises-wnba-coach-after-trans-sports-jab-at-sophie-cunningham">public plug</a> from ESPN announcer Rebecca Lobo. Meanwhile, Fever head coach Stephanie White <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sophie-cunninghams-coach-asked-where-she-stands-on-men-in-womens-sports">ducked the issue</a> entirely, claiming she wasn&#8217;t &#8220;educated enough from a scientific standpoint&#8221; to take a stand.
While corporate execs and coaches hem and haw, Cunningham’s common-sense defense of female athletics has rallied fans nationwide, even drawing backing from White House Press Secretary <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/karoline-leavitt-rips-leftist-backlash-to-sophie-cunninghams-trans-sports-comments">Karoline Leavitt</a> and activist Riley Gaines.
The heat has even spilled into the stands. In Seattle, Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton was punished after flying off the handle in an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wnba-co-owner-accused-of-cursing-out-teen-girls-over-xx-xy-shirts?author=Hank+Berrien&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=8&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=WNBA+Co-Owner+Accused+Of+Cursing+Out+Teen+Girls+Over+XX-XY+Shirts">expletive-laced tirade</a> against two 16-year-old girls wearing gear supporting Cunningham’s position.

WNBA: AUG 04 Toronto Tempo at Golden State Valkyries

Another WNBA Star Enters The Men In Women’s Sports Debate

A clip of President Donald Trump from July 2022 is making the rounds on social media again as the WNBA&#8217;s transgender sports controversy boils over.
Speaking at the America First Policy Institute on July 26, 2022, the former president cracked that he’d be the &#8220;greatest woman&#8217;s basketball coach in history&#8221; by luring LeBron James into the WNBA.
“I&#8217;d be the greatest woman&#8217;s basketball coach in history,” Trump quipped.”Because I don&#8217;t like LeBron James. I like Michael Jordan much better. But I&#8217;d go up to LeBron James. It doesn&#8217;t matter. I&#8217;d say, ‘LeBron, did you ever have any desire to be a woman? Because what I&#8217;d love you to do is star on my team that I&#8217;m building up.’”
“I will have the greatest team in history,” he continued. “They&#8217;ll never lose. Nobody will come within 70 points of this team.&#8221;
The clip is going viral again after WNBA player Sophie Cunningham took a stand on keeping men out of women&#8217;s sports during an ESPN profile interview last month. Cunningham&#8217;s comments sparked backlash from WNBA coaches, players, and at least one co-owner.
Trump&#8217;s suggestion to bring James into the WNBA was part of a years-long feud between the president and the billionaire ballplayer.
The feud stretches back to September 2017, when Golden State Warriors sharp-shooter Steph Curry hesitated on a White House visit following the team&#8217;s NBA title. Trump formally revoked the invite, prompting James to jump into the paint and label the president a &#8220;bum,&#8221; declaring that visiting the White House was an honor &#8220;until you showed up!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
U bum <a href="https://x.com/StephenCurry30?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StephenCurry30</a> already said he ain&#39;t going! So therefore ain&#39;t no invite. Going to White House was a great honor until you showed up!
&mdash; LeBron James (@KingJames) <a href="https://x.com/KingJames/status/911610455877021697?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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From there, the gloves came off. James took to the airwaves in early 2018, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/feb/15/lebron-james-donald-trump-criticism-nba#:~:text=is%20someone%20who%20doesn't%20understand%20the%20people%2C,three%2Dtime%20NBA%20champion%20said.%20%E2%80%9CIt's%2C%20like%2C%20laughable%3B">telling</a> Cari Champion and Kevin Durant that Trump &#8220;doesn&#8217;t give a f*ck about the people.&#8221; Months later, James sat down with CNN&#8217;s Don Lemon, accusing the president of using athletics to divide the nation.
Trump wasted no time clapping back, famously tweeting that Lemon was &#8220;the dumbest man on television&#8221; who somehow &#8220;made LeBron look smart, which isn’t easy to do,&#8221; before declaring his loyalty to a different GOAT: &#8220;I like Mike!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Lebron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon. He made Lebron look smart, which isn’t easy to do. I like Mike!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://x.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1025586524782559232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The rivalry only intensified as social and political movements swept the nation. In August 2020, James wore a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lebron-james-and-lakers-wear-mock-maga-hats?author=Hank+Berrien&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=LeBron+James+And+Lakers+Wear+Mock+MAGA+Hats">modified MAGA hat</a> demanding the arrest of the police officers involved in Breonna Taylor&#8217;s death. Just two months later on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show, Trump <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/lakers/2020/10/10/donald-trump-tells-rush-limbaugh-lebron-hater-nasty-spokesman/5955438002/">slammed</a> James as a &#8220;nasty spokesman&#8221; for the Democratic Party, contending his political activism was killing NBA TV ratings because fans didn&#8217;t want to watch &#8220;a guy that hates your guts.&#8221;
The hostility peaked in April 2021 when James posted a controversial &#8220;YOU&#8217;RE NEXT&#8221; tweet aimed at an Ohio police officer who fatally shot a teenager while saving another girl from being stabbed. Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-trump-unloads-on-lebron-james-his-racist-rants-are-divisive-nasty-insulting-and-demeaning?author=Ryan+Saavedra&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Unloads+On+LeBron+James%3A+%E2%80%98His+RACIST+Rants+Are+Divisive%2C+Nasty%2C+Insulting%2C+And+Demeaning%E2%80%99">ripped</a> James for his &#8220;RACIST rants,&#8221; calling them divisive, insulting, and damaging to the sport.

Amazon MGM’s “Melania” World Premiere

FLASHBACK: Trump’s LeBron James Quip Takes WNBA Trans Debate To Another Level

Donald Trump

LeBron James

Fever is spreading in the WNBA.
The fever that is the woke-mind virus, that is.
Since Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham fearlessly spoke about protecting “young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men” in an <a href="https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/49306657/sophie-cunningham-finger-point-indiana-fever-wnba">ESPN</a> story, some WNBA coaches and fans have become unhinged at Cunningham’s comments and the deluge of support she’s receiving from fans.
After Cunningham was raked over the coals by the media for her commonsense view, two young girls attending a WNBA game wearing XX-XY Athletics shirts in support of Sophie were subjected to intense harassment by a WNBA team co-owner. Fans even cussed them out. That team co-owner was rightfully fined and suspended for five games by the league.
Then, coach after coach in the WNBA has exposed just how out of touch they are with fairness in women’s sports. Fever coach Stephanie White said, &#8220;I don&#8217;t know that I would say I&#8217;m educated enough from a scientific standpoint. I don&#8217;t ever believe that exclusion is the answer.” Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve wore a “Trans Kids Belong” shirt in a game against the Fever. Golden State coach Natalie Nakase said, “I’m all about women, little girls deserving to play, and that includes trans women. So I’m all about inclusivity.”
The Babylon Bee perhaps said it best: “<a href="https://babylonbee.com/news/wnba-coaches-stumped-as-to-what-the-w-stands-for">WNBA Coaches Stumped as to What the ‘W’ Stands For.</a>”
This controversy in the WNBA points to the larger issue at hand: biological women’s safety and fairness in sport are at risk when there are no policies to protect them.
Concerned Women for America has <a href="https://concernedwomen.org/wnba-must-adopt-policy-to-protect-fairness-in-sport-based-on-sex-says-cwalac/">called on</a> the WNBA to adopt a policy that clarifies only biological women can play basketball in the league. The WNBA needs to stand behind biological female players and ensure that it will not subject any players or fans to viewpoint discrimination.
Ultimately, the WNBA needs to look in the mirror and do some soul-searching about what it stands for – fairness in women’s sports or not?
One would think this need not be defined, but this is 2026, after all.
Activism in the WNBA has poisoned the league for years. But a new generation of athletes is being inspired by Sophie Cunningham&#8217;s courage. It’s time for the WNBA to defend them, not the activism that defends biological males stealing their opportunities.
The WNBA is far from the only sports governing body that needs to protect biological females from competing against trans-identifying men. The NCAA, USOPC, USA Volleyball, USA Cycling, USA Rowing, USA Ultimate, and USA Gymnastics all need to adopt clear policies that participation in the women’s category is for natal females only and to enforce a policy for all athletes.
For the record, it is not transphobic to insist on women’s sports being for biological women only. It is no secret that science, biology, and common sense show the unfair advantage biological male athletes have against female athletes. Women and girls have <a href="https://hecheated.org/">lost</a> the podium, scholarships, prize money, and medals due to competition from trans-identifying men.
Congress is rightfully getting involved. Congresswoman Claudia Tenney’s “<a href="https://tenney.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-tenney-introduces-no-goodwill-harming-women-act">No Goodwill for Harming Women Act</a>” proposes financial penalties for professional franchises allowing biological men in women’s sports. Congress should also pass the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act” and the “Protection of Women in Olympic and Amateur Sports Act.”
With midterms underway, candidates must support biological female athletes — the issue will not go away until females are fully protected in sport.
A new <a href="https://concernedwomen.org/new-cwa-poll-on-midterm-issues-finds-major-support-for-womens-issues/">CWA poll</a> found that over 69% (69.3%) of Americans believe it is very or somewhat important in deciding who to vote for in this election that candidates oppose forcing female athletes to participate in sports and share locker rooms with biological boys/men identifying as girls/women.
It is an outrage that two young girls attending a WNBA game were harassed for supporting Sophie, who is unafraid to say what everyone is thinking and completely in tune with the spirit of sport.
To avoid further chaos, bias, and potential harm against WNBA players and their fans, the WNBA should immediately adopt a policy that establishes only biological women can play basketball in the league. That’s the only winning play.
***
Penny Young Nance is CEO and President of Concerned Women for America (CWA), the nation’s largest public policy women’s organization, and author of 7 Rules for Success in Business and Life: A Woman’s Guide. <a href="https://concernedwomen.org/">https://concernedwomen.org/</a>

After Sophie Cunningham Speaks Up For Girls, The WNBA Speaks Up For Delusion

jennifer sey

Save Women's Sports Act

The world&#8217;s top-ranked female tennis player has taken a stand for female athletes.
Aryna Sabalenka, who is ranked No. 1 in women&#8217;s singles, said earlier this week that women&#8217;s tennis must be kept fair and female, backing a one-time gender test for athletes.
“The WTA (Women&#8217;s Tennis Association) recently announced that players will take a one-time gender test,” a reporter said to Sabalenka. “How do you feel about that?” 
“I think it&#8217;s really important to keep the fairness in our tour,” Sabalenka responded, adding that “men are way stronger than women.” 
“I feel like it would be not really fair for the woman to compete against biological men,” the Belarusian tennis player continued. “I believe it took them a little while to make the decision and I support it.”
“If they want to test us all, I&#8217;m happy to do that,” she added. “It&#8217;s pretty fair and let&#8217;s keep it that way.” 
The WTA announced in July that its Women&#8217;s Eligibility Policy will now be based on biological sex, as opposed to so-called gender identity. Now, all players competing on the women&#8217;s tour must undergo a one-time genetic screening for the SRY gene, which is associated with male biology. Players can be tested using either a cheek swab or blood sample.
Back in December 2025, Sabalenka voiced similar comments about the trans sports issue.
&#8220;I think it&#8217;s not fair on women to face basically biological men,&#8221; she <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sports/tennis/sabalenka-says-women-facing-transgender-athletes-not-fair-2025-12-10/">said</a> at the time. &#8220;The woman has been working her whole life to reach her limit and then she has to face a man, who is biologically much stronger, so for me I don&#8217;t agree with this kind of stuff in sport.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1150105" style="width: 861px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1150105" class="wp-image-1150105 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2283904721-851x576.jpg" alt="" width="851" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2283904721-851x576.jpg 851w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2283904721-300x203.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2283904721-768x520.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2283904721.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 851px) 100vw, 851px" />Robert Prange/Getty Images</div>
Sabalenka&#8217;s comments come on the heels of WNBA star Sophie Cunningham taking a bold stance for women. Bucking the league&#8217;s messaging and other players&#8217; activism, Cunningham said biological males should not be allowed in female sports and that she will always stand up for female athletes and advocate for fairness.
Cunningham doubled down on her position last week. &#8220;I said what I said,” she said, adding, “It’s kind of common sense, and I think I&#8217;ll always believe in that. I think it&#8217;s really important to protect children, and that&#8217;s little girls who are also involved in that category. I stand on what I said and I&#8217;m going to always believe that.”
“I&#8217;m not a very political person, but I do have beliefs,” she continued. “I have morals, and I&#8217;ll always stand on those and be true to who I am, and I think people are going to take it how they want to take it. … When it comes to protecting young girls in sport and women in sport, I feel very strongly about that.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-sophie-cunningham-doubles-down-on-protecting-girls-from-trans-athletes?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=7&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=WATCH%3A+Sophie+Cunningham+Doubles+Down+On+Protecting+Girls+From+Trans+Athletes">WATCH: Sophie Cunningham Doubles Down On Protecting Girls From Trans Athletes</a>

WTA 1000 National Bank Open Presented by Rogers 2026 – Day 1

World’s Top Female Tennis Player Takes Stand For Women’s Sports

No. 1 Female Tennis Player Takes Stand For Women’s Sports

Tennis

A new proposal from Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) seeks to keep gender-confused boys off of girls&#8217; sports teams and out of their locker rooms.  
The <a href="https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/services/files/9DB266B1-2A2D-4FCF-B948-A031AC31AB5C">bill</a> introduced Tuesday by Blackburn and 10 other GOP senators would tie federal funding to whether schools protect girls from discrimination based on biological reality. The bill seeks to codify language into federal law that makes it clear that discrimination protections under Title IX are based on sex and not sexual orientation or so-called gender identity. 
“The Biden administration weaponized Title IX to force women to compete with men in sports and allow men to invade women’s spaces,” Blackburn told The Daily Wire. “Thankfully, President Trump restored common sense in Title IX, and now Congress must codify these protections for women into law to prevent future abuse.”
Blackburn’s proposal, called the “Title IX Clarification Act,” would ensure that discrimination under the provision is based “on the biological reality of sex” and would make federal funding contingent on recognizing that understanding. 
The bill’s introduction comes amid a nationwide controversy fueled by WNBA player Sophie Cunningham’s stance on keeping gender-confused boys out of girls&#8217; sports. 
“I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men,” Cunningham said in a recent interview with ESPN, drawing backlash from fellow WNBA players and coaches.
Her comments have angered WNBA fans and even led to pro-trans advocacy from Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve, who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wnba-coach-protests-sophie-cunningham-with-pro-trans-shirt?author=Drew+Berkemeyer&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=10&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=WNBA+Coach+Protests+Sophie+Cunningham+With+Pro-Trans+Shirt">recently</a> wore a “Trans Kids Belong” shirt during a game. 
The Biden administration attempted to <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/03/11/2021-05200/guaranteeing-an-educational-environment-free-from-discrimination-on-the-basis-of-sex-including">expand</a> the traditional understanding of Title IX to include “gender identity” as being protected under the definition of sex. Critics argued that interpretation would force schools from keeping sports teams, bathrooms, and locker rooms separate on the basis of sex. 
Shortly after taking office, President Donald Trump officially <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/initial-rescissions-of-harmful-executive-orders-and-actions/">rescinded</a> Biden’s interpretation of Title IX and <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/defending-women-from-gender-ideology-extremism-and-restoring-biological-truth-to-the-federal-government/">directed</a> federal agencies to protect from sex-based discrimination, not gender identity. The Supreme Court <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/supreme-court-protects-womens-sports-in-landmark-ruling">recently held</a> in a landmark decision that states did not violate Title IX if they had laws in place keeping boys out of girls’ sports. 
“They may determine eligibility for women’s and girls’ sports based on biological sex,” Justice Kavanaugh wrote. “The Constitution and Title IX do not require an overhaul of women’s and girls’ sports throughout America.”
Blackburn said her legislation would bring common sense back to federal discrimination law. 
“The Title IX Clarification Act would ensure that common sense, not leftist ideology, governs federal education funding tied to Title IX requirements to protect young women,” she said. 
Other lawmakers backing the proposal are Senators Katie Britt (R-AL), Jim Justice (R-WV), Ted Budd (R-NC), Jim Risch (R-ID), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Rick Scott (R-FL), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Steve Daines (R-MT), and Tim Sheehy (R-MT).
A House version of the proposal was introduced in May 2026 by Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX) and advanced through the Committee on Education and Workforce. It is backed by conservative groups like the Family Research Council, Alliance Defending Freedom, and the American Principles Project.

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