Statement by National NOW President Christian F. Nunes
WASHINGTON-Today’s vote in the U.S. House to forbid transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people from participating in school athletic programs has nothing to do with women’s sports or the girls’ rights —and everything to do with the politics of cruelty, exclusion, and discrimination.
The extremists in control of the House want to further harm already-marginalized groups, and transphobia is their latest weapon.
Women and girls face very real problems and discriminatory barriers in school athletics, such as sexual harassment and abuse, inadequate funding, second-class treatment in facilities, travel and equipment, and equal pay for women athletes.
Congress needs to address those issues—and the fact that college women have almost 60,000 fewer opportunities to play than men, and high school girls have over 1 million fewer opportunities than boys to play sports. And we need to open up more opportunities for women and girls of color, who are disproportionately impacted by these disparities.
But instead, the House voted to score points addressing a problem that does not exist.
For almost 15 years, schools have had policies that include transgender youth and ensure a level playing field for all students—and they’re working.
What’s not working is our representative democracy—not today, not in this Congress.
President Biden has pledged to veto this dangerous bill, and NOW members stand with him in opposing bigotry, discrimination, and the marginalization of entire communities.
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