The Biden-Harris Administration has sought to reform Title IX to protect individuals by gender identity, which conservatives argue renders the point of the statute meaningless because it would allow biological males to compete in women's sports. Senators Rick Scott (R-FL) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) recently demanded that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) reject the reform and specify that only biological women should be allowed to compete in women's sports under their purview.
"Amid the Biden—Harris administration's unprecedented assault on Title IX, we write to urge the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to update your student-athlete participation policy to require that only biologically female students participate in women's sports," Sens. Scott and Blackburn's letter bluntly began.
The letter also references the ongoing 2024 Summer Olympics, which have also seen similar controversy. Two biological males, Algeria's Imane Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu Ting, were allowed to participate in the women's boxing event.
The NCAA recently boasted about how approximately 400 athletes from NCAA schools are representing the United States this year alone, and many more represent over 100 countries.
"Yet the NCAA has still taken no steps to protecting a critical portion of these athletes. Several organizations—including the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the Court of Arbitration for Sport—in addition to more than 20 states, have acted recently to protect women's sports. We urge the NCAA to follow suit and take similar action to promote fair play," Scott and Blackburn demanded.
The Senators cite research suggesting hormone replacement therapy (HRT) does little to diminish men's naturally greater strength and endurance compared to women, which is visible in sporting events. Moreover, testosterone supplementation is already forbidden in sports as it is a performance enhancer, and thus, allowing individuals with naturally higher levels of testosterone (men) to compete with women is effectively the allowance of doping.
"While men may have inherent athletic advantages, they have no advantage over women in their level of passion, drive, or desire to compete. The very bedrock of sport is the exhibition of a commitment to excellence, grace under pressure, and fair play among competitors—all of which is threatened absent an even playing field. Women deserve that even playing field and chance to compete, one that can only be achieved by ensuring that only females compete in women's sports," Scott and Blackburn concluded.
