In his first joint address of the 47th presidency, President Trump highlighted the momentous victories female athletes have achieved in their fight for fairness. While President Trump casts a vision of integrity for women in sports, Concerned Women for America (CWA) is here to ensure implementation of these changes at every level, until every woman is guaranteed her rightful protections under Title IX. Here are the latest stories:
Former high school volleyball player Payton McNabb joined the President at the joint address and received a shoutout from the President for her tireless efforts to keep men off women’s playing fields. Payton suffered a traumatic brain injury after a trans-identified man hit a volleyball into her face. She attended the address to represent the thousands of other female athletes who have similarly suffered under regressive policies that allow men to invade their spaces. She has been a fierce warrior from her early days in high school, and CWA has been blessed to stand with her at every step.
Despite the President’s clear and unequivocal clarification of federal law in his Executive Order Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports, several states have defied his orders and continued to jeopardize women’s safety. Maine’s governor Janet Mills stood in the President’s fire at the White House Governor’s Lunch when he confronted her refusal to comply with his Order: “I’ll see you in court. I look forward to that. That should be a real easy one,” he boasted. The encounter proves the President’s commitment to enforcing the executive order’s protections.
His remarks were met with sincere, swelling support from the female athletes under Gov. Mills’ governance. They took to the streets to host the March Against Mills demonstration outside the State House. Maine high schooler Julia Deitrick shared at the mic, “If fighting for fairness makes us controversial, so be it. The reality is fighting for fairness in sports is not just a preference, it’s a necessity.” The athletes have found an advocate in State Representative Laura Libby (R-Auburn) who has stood to their defense at great cost. The state censured Rep. Libby for her views on male participation in women’s athletes, revoking her ability to speak and vote on the state House floor.
Rep. Libby doubled down at a Women’s History Month press conference where she shared that “women’s rights” loses “all of its meaning in a world where anyone can declare themselves a woman regardless of the facts.” She called on the state to remove “gender identity” from the Maine Human Rights Act.
Other states have similarly seen the devastating effects of pairing “gender identity” in state law with heightened categorical protections, which often rival protections for women. For example, a state could interpret barring a trans-identifying man from competing on a women’s team as discrimination, because his status as “transgender” warrants exemption from sex- based designation.
Yesterday, Iowa became the first state to remove “gender identity” from their civil code. CWA of Iowa’s State Director Tamara Scott has been a fearless fighter on the legislation, standing for the dignity of women at every step. In her testimony, she noted that including “gender identity” in the code “weaponized the code and pitted Iowans against Iowans.” The passage of HSB 583 is a historic marker of progress, showing a path of restoration for the protection of women and girls. We are so grateful for Mrs. Scott’s efforts and leadership in Iowa!
But the momentum doesn’t stop there … Over on the West Coast, the Young Women for America (YWA) Inland Empire Chapter is making waves demanding the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) affirm and recognize the Title IX protections guaranteed to female athletes. Amber French, a YWA chapter member and California Baptist University swimmer, spoke truth to power at a press conference outside the CIF’s annual meeting: “The bottom line is, if you allow males to compete in female sports, less and less females will make the varsity team in high school, and less females will have the opportunity to go to CIF and swim in front of coaches to get recruited.”
State legislatures are also moving on legislation to protect women’s sports in Maryland and Georgia. Gov. Braun moved via-executive order in Indiana to affirm God’s creation of two genders and strengthen protections for women in sports on the basis of sex.
The U.S. Senate also brought the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act (S.9) to the floor last Monday in an effort to codify President Trump’s women’s sports executive order. While the bill did not garner enough Democrat support to defeat the filibuster, it still signaled the federal government’s uncompromised commitment to restoring integrity to women’s sports. CWA’s legislative strategists Maggie McKneely and Macy Petty advocated for S.9 on the Hill and watched the historic vote from the Senate Gallery. Watch their conversation with Senator Tuberville, the sponsor of S.9, before the vote here: https://x.com/CWforA/status/1896677379852165174.
Concerned Women for America is grateful for President Trump’s commitment to female athletes, and we celebrate the historic accomplishments he has spearheaded. After acknowledging Payton in the address, the President shook his fist in the air similar to his iconic moment chanting “fight, fight, fight.” We will continue to fight alongside the President until every institution and governing body defends the dignity of women and women have the longstanding protections they deserve.