Current and former athletes, headlined by Riley Gaines, draw attention to the attack on women and girls’ equal athletic opportunities, privacy, and safety.
(HARRISBURG, PA ) The “Our Bodies, Our Sports – Take Back Title IX” nationwide bus tour kicked off in Scranton on Wednesday calling attention to the new Title IX regulations by the Biden administration and the harm they will cause to women and girls in Pennsylvania and across the nation. The tour now moves to Lancaster, PA to support the women of the U.S. Women’s Open, after the LPGA allowed a male to compete, and take a spot from another female competitor as a first alternate for the women’s championship tournament.
“Women should not be competing for second place in their own category,” states Emily Kreps, Legal Assistant with Pennsylvania Family Institute. “The Biden administration’s unprecedented attack on long-standing women’s rights to a fair and safe playing field and women’s privacy in locker rooms has resulted in around 30 lawsuits and counting.”
“No matter how someone identifies, at the end of the day, identities don’t play sports, bodies do,” said Alexis Sneller, Policy Analyst with Pennsylvania Family Institute. “Men have a distinct biological advantage over women, even without lowering testosterone levels, and when women are forced to compete against them, they lose out on key opportunities.”
Rally speakers included Riley Gaines, Paula Scanlan (former University of Pennsylvania swimmer), Selina Soule (Alliance Defending Freedom client), Macy Petty (Young Women for America Ambassador), and Lily Williams (former track athlete from Lancaster County, PA).
“There are ways for schools to meet the needs of all students without allowing the violation of our rights to privacy and fair competition. Any biological girl, no matter what they believe about gender, is more than welcome on our girls’ teams. And any biological boy, no matter how they identify, is welcome on the boys’ teams. That preserves fairness and opportunities for everyone.” Lily Williams, in testimony to the PA House Education Committee last session in support of the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act.
Here are some details for the Friday press conference in Lancaster:
Our Bodies, Our Sports Summer 2024 Bus Tour U.S. Women’s Open Press Conference in Lancaster, PA
Friday, May 31st @ 11am
Press conference ft. Riley Gaines & female athletes and coaches
Location: Spooky Nook Lanco, 1901 Miller Rd, East Petersburg
From the rally organizer’s website, OurBodiesOurSports.com/Bus: “The Our Bodies, Our Sports coalition formed in 2022 to defend women’s sports and the integrity of the female sporting category. Despite political and ideological differences, members of the coalition stand together with gratitude for the generations of female athletes who came before us and in defense of all the women and girls who will come next.”
