WASHINGTON, D.C. – – We, the undersigned women’s rights and gender justice organizations, strongly endorse the Equality Act because advancing civil rights for LGBTQ people is critical to advancing women’s rights and gender justice. One reason the Equality Act is needed is to protect transgender girls and women, who face disproportionately high rates of sex-based discrimination—including sexual assault—which has devastating effects on their ability to stay and succeed in school. As courts and scientists overwhelmingly have stated, transgender girls and women are girls and women. Unfortunately, transgender girls’ and women’s participation in school sports consistent with their gender identity has become a cudgel used to attack the Act. The Equality Act does not amend Title IX and its protections for women’s and girls’ athletics and would simply codify existing protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, in accordance with Title IX, the reasoning in the Supreme Court’s Bostock decision, and President Biden’s January 20, 2021 executive order. Girls and women who are transgender should have the same opportunities as girls and women who are cisgender to enjoy the educational benefits of sports, such as higher grades, higher graduation rates, and greater psychological well-being. These protections would be consistent with existing trans-inclusive athletics laws or policies in 24 states and DC that have already been in place for more than a decade and that have benefited all girls and women. Indeed, cisgender girls and women in these states have continued to enjoy opportunities to play and to win and have even participated in athletics at higher rates in many of these states after trans-inclusive policies or laws were adopted. We strongly support the Equality Act and know that its passage would be a victory for all girls and women.
9to5 (Georgia)
AccessMatters
ACLU of South Dakota
Alianza Nacional de Campesinas
American Association of University Women (AAUW)
American Civil Liberties Union
American Federation of Teachers
American Psychological Association
Black Women’s Health Imperative
Center for American Progress
CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers
Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (CAASE)
Clearinghouse on Women’s Issues
Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence
Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF)
End Rape On Campus
Enough is Enough Voter Project (California)
Equal Rights Advocates
Equality California
Every Voice Coalition
Faculty Against Rape Feminist Majority Foundation FORGE, Inc.
Futures Without Violence
Gender Equality Law Center (New York)
Gender Justice (Minnesota) Girls for Gender Equity Girls Inc.
GLAAD
GLSEN
Hardy G*rls Healthy Wom*n
Harvard Law School Gender Violence Program
If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice
Illinois Accountability Initiative
In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda
Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR)
Ipas
It’s On Us
Japanese American Citizens League
Justice for Migrant Women
Know Your IX, a project of Advocates for Youth
KWH Law Center for Social Justice and Change (New Mexico)
Legal Momentum, the Women’s Legal Defense and Education Fund
Mabel Wadsworth Center (Maine)
Mainers for Accountable Leadership
Maryland Women’s Heritage Center
Medical Students for Choice
Michigan Coalition to End Domestic & Sexual Violence
MomsRising/MamásConPoder
NARAL Pro-Choice America
Nation Women’s Political Caucus
National Council of Jewish Women
National Council of Jewish Women – Greater New Orleans Section (Louisiana)
National Council of Jewish Women- Cleveland (Ohio)
National Crittenton
National Education Association
National Employment Law Project
National Equality Action Team (NEAT)
National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund
National Organization for Women
National Partnership for Women & Families
National Resource Center on Domestic Violence
National Women’s Law Center
National Women’s Political Caucus
National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR)
Network for Victim Recovery of DC
NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
Northern NJ NOW
Ohio Women’s Public Policy Network
People’s Parity Project
Physicians for Reproductive Health
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Positive Women’s Network-USA
Pride at Work
Public Justice
Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
Reproaction
Reproductive Health Access Project
SafeBAE
Silver State Equality-Nevada
Southwest Women’s Law Center (New Mexico)
The GenderCool Project
TIME’S UP Now
United State of Women
University Survivors Movement
URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity
Women Employed (Illinois)
Women’s Law Project (Pennsylvania)
Women’s March
Women’s Medical Fund
Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network (South Carolina)
Women’s Sports Foundation
YWCA Dayton (Ohio)
YWCA USA