Boys Who Want to Compete Against Girls in Sports Can’t Do So in Idaho

Governor Brad Little of Idaho signed into law a measure that protects women’s equal opportunities in athletics and fair competition in high school and college sports. The Daily Signal reported on the bill’s signing:

Idaho is the first state to prevail against forces working to stop similar bills across the country that seek to right the wrong girls face when state policies force them to compete in women’s sports against athletes who are biological males.

Getting this bill across the finish line wasn’t easy.

Proponents led by state Rep. Barbara Ehardt, a former Division 1 athlete and coach, bucked powerful activists in the business community, including Chobani, Clif Bar & Co., HP Inc., and Micron Technology Inc. But legislators overwhelmingly sided with female athletes and all who support them–moms, dads, coaches, fans, and Idaho citizens, including my parents and extended family.

Little and state legislators rejected the threats of corporate activists who, in the name of “diversity and inclusion,” claim without proof that laws recognizing birth sex as a biological fact will cost the state business.

Lawmakers who want to protect women’s equal opportunities in sports dominate the legislature and governor’s office in the state. What will happen in states where conditions aren’t favorable?

A similar case is pending in Connecticut. Three high school girls who run track filed a complaint with the U.S Department of Education and a lawsuit against the state over its policy allowing boys pretending to be girls to compete against girls, denying them the opportunity to win races.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a statement of interest asking the court to rule against the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference for its improper interpretation of the law. The state claims Title IX of the federal code requires them to allow “transgender girls” to compete with actual girls. The DOJ contends that the law bars discrimination on the basis of biological sex, not “transgender” status.