February 7, 2024
Dear Members of Congress,
Independent Women’s Law Center and Independent Women’s Voice are proud to support the Protection of Women in Olympic and Amateur Sports Act, sponsored by Senator Tommy Tuberville and Representative Greg Steube in the 118th Congress.
Olympic athletes train their whole lives to get to the Olympics. They make countless sacrifices, overcome tremendous obstacles, and beat incredible odds. To be able to compete at a higher level, female athletes, in particular, have had to fight harder and overcome greater odds. While female athletes have made tremendous progress since the enactment of Title IX in 1972, without single-sex teams and single-sex competition, equal athletic opportunity is but a farce.
This bill recognizes that policies and decisions regarding athletic participation must follow the science. We cannot ignore biological sex differences. To do so threatens women’s opportunities and their physical safety. Without separate male and female athletic teams, men will dominate women in the majority of competitive sports. This will limit women’s chances of success by taking away spots, playing time, and other potential opportunities, as well as putting female athletes at risk of injury.
Thank you, Senator Tuberville and Representative Steube, for your leadership on this important issue. We urge all members of Congress to work toward the bill’s swift passage to preserve equal athletic opportunity for both sexes.
Respectfully,
Jennifer Braceras
Vice President for Legal Affairs
Independent Women’s Law Center
Hadley Heath Manning
Vice President for Policy
Independent Women’s Voice