WASHINGTON D.C. — Independent Women’s Voice (IWV) is proud to celebrate the victories advanced by its “Stand With Women” initiative, which, over the past four years, has reshaped the national conversation on the importance of protecting women’s rights to privacy, safety, and equal opportunity—including the right to compete in women’s-only sports—as Americans overwhelmingly elected pro-woman leaders to Congress, and public support and dialogue continues to surround the need to protect women’s single-sex spaces and opportunities.
Over the past several years, IWV has worked to bring media attention to this issue — making the topic mainstream — by highlighting the true stories of women and girls who have been discriminated against at the hands of males invading women’s spaces, including sports. In 2021, IWV’s sister organization, Independent Women’s Forum (IWF), first documented the story of Cynthia Monteleone, a Team USA world-champion track athlete forced to compete against a male athlete in the 2018 World Masters Athletics Championships, and her 16-year-old daughter Margaret, who lost a first place win at her first high school track meet to a male competing in the female category. Since then, IWV and IW Features, the grassroots storytelling and original journalism arm of IWF, have provided a platform for hundreds of voices to expose the reality of anti-women policies, including IW Ambassador Riley Gaines, Paula Scanlan, and Payton McNabb, who have emerged as leaders in building support for pro-women, pro-fairness, and pro-safety policies across the country.
Here’s what the media has been saying about the impact of women’s sports and spaces in the election:
“These are boys playing girl’s sports… I think there are a lot of families out there who don’t believe boys should play girl’s sports… regular people with children look at these things, and they say ‘you know what? This is a bit too far.’” – Shermichael Singleton on CNN Newsnight
“On the campaign trail former President and now President-elect Donald Trump promised: ‘We will of course keep men out of women’s sports.’ Since his victory last week a few elected Democrats are starting to acknowledge how unfair—and unpopular—it is to make females play against males. And one elected Democrat looks like he’s now starting to win the argument to protect girls on the playing fields of a liberal state.” – Wall Street Journal: Did Trump Just Save Women’s Sports?
“Democratic politicians, the media and elite institutions frequently refer to our ‘evolving understanding of sex and gender.’ But a majority of Americans still believe that gender is based on sex at birth. This is not because Americans are ‘uncomfortable’ with the existence of transgender people or need to get with the program.” – The New York Times: On Transgender Issues, Voters Want Common Sense
“While progressives may want to smear Moulton as a hate-monger, his comments on transgender athletes in girls and women’s sports align with the vast majority of the country.” – USA Today: Democrats lost because they’re out of touch with most Americans. Will they learn?
This election cycle, IWV partnered with Gaines to launch the Riley Gaines Stand with Women Scorecard to hold candidates, and now members-elect, accountable for the surge of nationwide support among voters to protect women’s single-sex sports and spaces. Paired with IWV’s Stand with Women Commitment, a pledge for candidates and policymakers to make clear whether they intend to support legislation that protects female opportunities, these tools empowered voters to send 90% of candidates on the Scorecard who were Riley Gaines “approved” to Congress.
Here is what IW ambassadors, members of Congress, current and former professional athletes, and leading thought leaders have to say about the impact of IWV’s work:
HERE’S WHAT IW AMBASSADORS ARE SAYING:
Riley Gaines, Independent Women’s Voice ambassador and host of “Gaines for Girls” on OutKick: “When I first spoke out about men in women’s sports, I found Independent Women’s Forum and Voice and they have been a consistent rock in my life since. Whether it was encouraging me to use my voice a few years ago, giving me the training to be an effective advocate with policymakers, amplifying my voice through the media, taking me cross-country on the Take Back Title IX bus tour, or partnering with me to build invaluable tools like the Riley Gaines Stand with Women Scorecard, their impact is unmatched. Independent Women have been at the forefront of the fight to save women’s sports. They built the Our Bodies, Our Sports coalition, are the pioneers who developed the first-ever sex-definition bill, now law in 8 states and being replicated in dozens of states across the country, and helped shift that national narrative that you can be FOR both equality and sex-based rights. Women, millennials, athletes and independent-minded people are better off because of them.
“Men don’t belong in women’s sports. I know this and the American public knows this. Independent Women’s Voice has worked strategically over the last several years to ensure women have access to privacy, safety and equal opportunity. Because of them, Americans held leaders accountable for their stance on standing with women and politicians and pundits are talking about this issue being the sleeper issue of the 2024 election.”
Paula Scanlan, Independent Women’s Voice ambassador and former swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania: “This election, we saw the large impact the stand with women movement had on voters. Many people cited it as one of their main concerns when voting. While we still have work to do to protect women’s sports and spaces, we are winning and this past election shows us that.”
Payton McNabb, Independent Women’s Voice ambassador and former North Carolina high school volleyball player who was knocked unconscious and suffered permanent damage after being forced to play against a male: “The Stand With Women movement had a huge impact on the 2024 election by addressing policies that jeopardized women’s opportunities, safety, and fairness. These were common-sense issues that the majority of Americans recognized as wrong. As awareness grew, people became more confident in speaking out, creating a turning point where standing up for women became widespread. This momentum reflected a strong demand to protect the fairness of women’s sports and ensure female-only spaces remain safe and secure. The choice was clear: one side couldn’t even define what a woman was, while the other stood firmly to defend women’s rights and uphold basic truths—and truth won!”
HERE’S WHAT MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ARE SAYING:
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX): “This past election showed us that the American people don’t want boys in girls’ sports. Thank you to the Independent Women’s Voice for launching the Riley Gaines Stand with Women scorecard. This scorecard showed the people who stands with women and who does not. It mattered. I will continue to make sure women have privacy, safety and equal opportunity on and off the playing field.”
U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL): “Last week, a majority of Americans sent a clear rebuke of the Biden administration’s destruction of Title IX and women’s sports. I’m grateful for Independent Women’s Voice’s work to sound the alarm on this through the Riley Gaines Scorecard. The message clearly resonated with voters who delivered a mandate to Washington: get men out of women’s sports and women’s locker rooms. Now, we have a real opportunity to work with President Trump to restore Title IX and protect women and girls everywhere.”
U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA): “I am glad the Independent Women’s Voice created the Riley Gaines Scorecard so that the American people know who actually stands with women and girls. Even though many on the left can’t define what a woman is, I will always work to protect women’s privacy, safety, and opportunities!”
U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA-1): “The American people understand the difference between a man and a woman. They know that men shouldn’t play women’s sports. I am glad the Independent Women’s Voice created the Riley Gaines Scorecard this year, so that people know exactly whether their elected leaders stand with women.”
U.S. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN-6): “Men don’t belong in women’s sports. The American public know this and thanks to the Independent Women’s Voice Riley Gaines Stand With Women Scorecard, they held leaders accountable for their stance on standing with women. We will continue to make sure that women have access to privacy, safety and equal opportunity.”
U.S. House Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-MI-9): “The American people rejected the left’s woke ideology when they delivered a resounding victory for Republicans. Instead of throwing away decades of progress on Title IX, we need to continue empowering and protecting women. I am proud to stand with the Independent Women’s Voice and welcome the Riley Gaines Scorecard, which brings accountability as we work to defend the values that make our country the greatest in the world.”
HERE’S WHAT LEADING ADVOCATES ARE SAYING:
Carla Esparza, former professional mixed martial artist and wrestler and two-time UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion: “Biological men do not belong in women’s sports, period. Inclusion cannot be prioritized above safety, privacy, or fairness in women’s and girls sports, and the American public knows this. Independent Women’s Voice has worked strategically over the last several years to fight to ensure women have access to privacy, safety and equal opportunity by holding leaders accountable for their stance on standing with women. This important issue was the sleeper issue of the 2024 election, and I am honored I was able to stand with them in Philadelphia at the Stand With Women event. Our voices were heard during this election, and “blue Pennsylvania” was flipped red.”
Royce Gracie, retired professional mixed martial artist and UFC Hall of Famer, considered to be one of the most influential figures in the history of mixed martial arts: “Thanks to the efforts of Independent Women, Capitol Hill has true advocates for women’s sports. Their work means we can start restoring sanity to women’s sports and make sure no female athlete is injured or lessened by the presence of a male player. They are an amazing organization who have forced leaders to talk about their positions on this issue. Americans were listening.”
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