As election night approaches, the issue of men competing in women’s sports increasingly dominates political ads, signaling a foreseeable shift many voters have long awaited.
Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board published an op-ed titled “Transgender Sports Is a 2024 Sleeper Issue.” They recognize a lack of media coverage for “what millions of Americans view as common sense.”
The average American voter, both left and right of center, has long expressed the view that women deserve courts and fields of their own, free from male participation. Even as the question becomes increasingly political, polling suggests an increase in support for athletic protections on the basis of sex. But as it becomes more political, politicians are revealing their lack of genuine support for the women they claim to champion.
The issue of men in women’s sports reaches far beyond its practical implications. Rather, it signals a greater abandonment of reality in the march of “progressivism,” and it’s a shift that voters are ready to take back. Nothing captures the image more tangibly than the image of a 6’4” male being awarded a women’s national championship.
In Texas, Sen. Ted Cruz (R) was quick to remind voters of his opponent’s record on the issue. Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas 32nd) voted for The Equality Act (HR 5), opposed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act (HR 734), and requested that the Department of Defense use taxpayer funds for minor’s sex change surgeries. Rep. Allred has fought back in an ad promising, “I don’t want boys playing girls’ sports.”
Sen. Jon Tester (D) from Montana felt the fire after he reportedly tried to buy endorsements from female athletes in his state. Tim Sheehy, Tester’s opponent, was similarly quick to remind voters of Tester’s voting habits on Instagram.
The New York Times followed the influx of pointed ads noting Republicans had spent more than $65 million on television ads on the topic. As of October 7, they recognize in the tight U.S. Senate race in Ohio “every ad about Senator Sherrod Brown from the leading Senate Republican super PAC has touched on transgender topics, such as accusing him of “allowing transgender biological males in girls’ sports.”
The issue moves down the ballot even centering on state level toss-up races. In his attempt to win over a State House seat in Lexington, South Carolina, Jason Guerry is running ads in South Carolina highlighting his opponent’s vote against the state’s Save Women’s Sports Act. State Representative Russell Ott, Guerry’s Democrat opponent, clarified he later changed his position and voted to protect women in sports.
“…the transgender sports issue is catching Democrats by surprise,” notes the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board. But the issue has dominated headlines long before the election, and voters won’t easily forget it this November.
This is an issue that transcends partisan politics. All lawmakers from D.C. to local school boards should be clear on their position regarding the safety and the unique dignity of women in sports and beyond.