Advocate for women’s sports, Riley Gaines, amongst several others, spoke out and protested yesterday outside the NCAA’s annual convention in Phoenix, Arizona. The rally is called “We Won’t Back Down.” The convention began on January 10th and will conclude on January 13th.
Gaines, along with several female athletes are demanding the NCAA to change their rules allowing biological men to participate and compete in women’s sports. All the women are fighting for is single sex competitions, no biological men on biological women’s sports teams and no biological men versing biological women.
Gaines, once again spoke out saying, “We as women will not continue to sit back, to sit idly by and smile as we are discriminated against on the basis of our sex.”
The women are arguing that biological men, transgender or not, have a competitive advantage over women, they are robbing women a spot on a team, or a chance to win, and women shouldn’t have to deal with the demeaning experience of sharing a locker room with these men.
Currently NCAA policy allows transgender women to compete if they keep their testosterone levels down for one year. Each sport will set their own criteria on the testosterone levels.
Gaines said, “I’m not looking for sympathy with this story, I’m looking for action. What happened at that national championship is not unique anymore, it’s happening at every level, every state, every division, every sport. Women continue to lose out on opportunities.”
There are currently 34 transgender women competing in college track, swimming, fencing, volleyball, and tennis.
The NCAA defends the policy stating it is positive, progressive, and inclusive.
By - FZ
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