Endangering Women and Sports
When implemented in 1972, Title IX had an admirable purpose: protect girls and women from sex-based discrimination within the federally-funded education system, specifically within sports. This rule created many opportunities with little push-back and little confusion. However, beginning in 2016, definitions of words such as “sex” and “gender” began to be reexamined and disputed. The Obama administration eventually ruled that when Title IX says “sex,” it did not pertain to biological distinctiveness, but rather to gender identity.
Now, on August 1, 2024, new Title IX mandates are to be implemented. Under the new mandate “sexual discrimination” includes situations involving sexual orientation, gender identity, and pregnancy. Furthermore, Title IX’s “sexual harassment” definition will include discriminatory actions towards the LGBTQ+ community. Under this mandate, if any transgender student feels they are being subjected to a hostile environment, the school will risk losing their federal funding.
If a biological man enters the women’s locker rooms, competes in women’s sports, or uses the women’s restrooms, there is little that can be said to refute it. Under this new mandate, if I were to speak up about a boy competing against my daughter at a swim meet, I could be charged with breaking Title IX!
What the Bible says
Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” The Bible specifically tells us here that God took the time to create two different sexes--male and female. If God thought biological distinction is valuable enough to be created, shouldn’t we think it is valuable enough to be protected?
Notice in the passage above that it is mentioned twice that humans are created in the image of God. If each human is woven together into the image of God, then their sex is something that cannot be unassigned, shared, or changed. And as a Christian community, we should work to help those who do not know God to understand how special, unique, and unchangeable God made them--especially their sex. A perfect God does not make mistakes, including the body he designed for each of us, intentionally.
Safety
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said,
“This is all for political agenda, ignoring safety concerns for young women in pre-schools, elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, colleges, and universities across Louisiana and the entire country.”
There is a reason that bathrooms, locker rooms, and changing areas are separated by sex. Aside from many finding it uncomfortable to have such areas be sex-neutral, there are safety issues as well.
Riley Gains, former NCAA swimmer and political activist, expressed her concern and experience of sharing a locker-room with a man when she said “Any man could have walked into our locker room, any coach, any official . . .” By allowing men to freely parade into women’s spaces uncontested, the Title IX mandate is putting women at risk of sexual/physical assault, as well as evoking fear that if the women speak up about these safety concerns, they will be breaking Title IX. By seeking to include the LGBTQ+ community, the new Title IX mandates are actually forcing women to share their intimate space with a sex who is taller, stronger, and larger . . . causing concern to ripple throughout women’s sports.
Fairness within Competition
East Valley High school of Washington State recently awarded a biological male the first-place title in the State 2A girls 400-meter run. In doing so, East Valley has stripped young women from obtaining titles and accomplishments that could further their athletic career.
Many collegiate women are beginning to lose their athletic scholarships to biological men who are competing in their sport. Since the original implementation of Title IX in 1972, women have utilized the opportunities that were presented to them to carve out a place for women amongst the nation’s best athletes. This change to Title IX is negating its original goal of protecting women and takes us back to the environment pre-1972.
What can you do?
You may never sit in front of Congress and give your opinion about the new Title IX mandates. However, you do have a say in what happens. How do you protect your children? How do you ensure that women’s sports are for women? The answer is simple—vote wisely. Utilize iVoterGuide so that you know where candidates stand on these critical issues. When you are an informed and prayerful citizen, you are doing your part to ensure that politicians who support Title IX’s new mandates receive one less vote at the ballot box.
