One of Joe Biden’s top priorities on Inauguration Day was to sign an Executive Order allowing biological males who identify as transgender to compete in female sports. This has alarmed many who are concerned that it is unfair to girls. Now, a group of well known athletes and advocates are pushing back against the White House.
There’s been some confusion about what Biden’s Executive Order on Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation actually means for schools and federal funding.
Biden’s executive order reads: “Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports.”
However, the White House said in a statement issued to USA TODAY:
The executive order does not tie an education institution’s federal funding to allowing biological male athletes access to women’s sports teams and scholarships.
Martina Navratilova And Greg Louganis Defend Girls Sports
Those athletes speaking out include tennis legend Martina Navratilova and Olympic gold medalists such as Greg Louganis, Micki King, and Donna de Varona.
Even some transgender athletes are joining the cause and pointing to science as the reason to limit biological males from competing with females.
This issue has been a hot button since two biological males, who identify as transgender girls, cleaned up at the Girls track and field championships in Connecticut.
Those two athletes won 15 events from 2017-2019, shutting out their biological female competitors.
Imagine gold medalist Bruce Jenner, who now goes by Caitlyn Jenner, attempting to compete as a woman athlete in the Olympics.
That is what this group of athletes want to prevent.
Bruce Jenner Olympics Wheaties boxes selling for $100s after #BruceJennerABC interview: http://t.co/bUECPyAjmu pic.twitter.com/SfhIa9zClK
— ABC News (@ABC) April 28, 2015
Martina Navratilova says not so fast to opening up girls sports to transgenders.
Given cancel culture’s season on those who don’t fall in line with political correctness, the tennis star is very much taking risk speaking out.
But, she knows this is important and she is trying to civilly open this up for debate.
Transgender Rules Are Not Clear
“There have been so many different approaches to this issue, from all-inclusion no matter what to all-exclusion no matter what,” Navratilova said. “We just wanted to find a better way of moving forward. We know there’s going to be somebody that’s not happy but we’re trying to make it as fair as possible. Now with transgender athletes, the rules are not clear. We need some clarity, we need some unity. We want to stay civil in the conversation and move the ball forward.”
The Executive Order blindsided a number of people, especially since it was a Day One priority for the aging new President.
Even though the ink is dry, many believe the discussion still needs to be had to save girls sports.
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“We understand that this is a complicated issue and that one conversation won’t do it,” Nancy Hogshead-Makar, a Title IX attorney and one of the leaders of the Women’s Sports Policy Working Group, told USA Today. “Thus, proposing federal legislation to protect biological females and create a women’s sports environment that is welcoming, respectful and celebratory for trans girls and women is only one small step.”
She continued: “Right now, trans groups and those supporting protection of biological girls and women are not talking. They are in court trying to win on their respective extreme positions. We tried to formally arrange those conversations for over a year to no avail. This needs to change and we have to just keep at it.”
You can watch Bruce Jenner run the 400 in the 1976 Olympics in the video below.